The Last Of Us Creator Craig Mazin Talked To Matthew McConaughey About Playing Joel
Hollywood's production history is littered with alternate versions of your very favorite movies and TV shows. There's a world where Robin Williams would have played The Riddler instead of Jim Carrey, where Stuart Townsend didn't get replaced by Viggo Mortensen in "The Lord of the Rings," or where Buddy Epsen played the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz" instead of Jack Haley.
Now fans can throw another "almost was" onto the pile. Matthew McConaughey could have played Joel Miller in HBO's "The Last of Us."
Unlike Stuart Townsend or Buddy Epsen, McConaughey was never cast, but on a recent episode of Josh Horowitz's "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, showrunner Craig Mazin did admit to talking with him early on in the development of the show. Mazin made sure to point out that Pedro Pascal was always at the top of their list, but a conversation with McConaughey did take place:
"I did talk to Matthew. It was more like, 'Hey, here's something to talk about.' Pedro was on our list from the start, but we were told he was unavailable and then as we were kind of floundering about a little bit I got a call from his agent who said, 'You know, he actually might be available,' and I sent a script off ... I sent it on a Friday and Saturday morning I get a call. 'He loves it and wants to get on a Zoom.' [Laughs.] That's a good sign. And then we got on a Zoom and we had what I think may be the most wonderful Zoom I think I've ever had. Just love at first sight."
When starpower can be a detriment
Craig Mazin went on to praise Pedro Pascal for just how committed the actor was to the story, the character of Joel, and his upfront willingness to film in harsh wintery conditions for a year. Pascal was just instantly right for the part and the correct collaborator for Mazin, so it was an easy decision for the showrunner to go with him over his A-list competition. "Look, Matthew McConaughey's an amazing actor," Mazin said. "I'm sure it would have been great, but it would have been different and I liked the one that we made, so what can I say? I think it worked out well."
Mazin is not wrong. McConaughey's star power might have been a detriment to the overall story if he had been cast in the role. He's such a strong presence that perhaps people would have seen the actor more than the character in this particular story. He's proven he could handle the heart-wrenching tragedy of the character and he can be a great hard-ass, but there's a tenderness to Pascal that is absolutely crucial to making Joel Miller work, and I'm not sure I can see McConaughey nailing that side of the character as well as Pascal did.
The other name that was floated during that interview with Mazin was Mahershala Ali, who Mazin said he never spoke with, but didn't deny that he was in the running for the part. That would have been another wildly different take on the character and one that I feel is far more interesting than McConaughey, but ultimately the stars aligned and the right team gathered to make one of my favorite first seasons of any television series ever.