When a live-action adaptation of the award-winning video game The Last of Us was announced to be in development, fans' biggest question was who would play protagonist Joel Miller. As we now know, the part ultimately went to Game of Thrones alum Pedro Pascal, which continued the actor's wildly impressive career renaissance. Pascal being cast as the impromptu father figure that is Joel felt like a perfect casting choice, especially considering that Joel is essentially a more morally grey version of Pascal's other hit role, Din Djarin from The Mandalorian.
As well-suited to the part as Pedro Pascal proved himself to be in the Emmy-winning HBO series, there was once a chance that someone else may have filled the role of Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) protector and father figure. As with any lead role in a high-profile IP like The Last of Us, many different names of many actors likely entered the casting process. The alleged frontrunners for the role before Pascal's casting range from pure speculation to interim talks, but one pick, in particular, would have been a very different choice for Joel in The Last of Us.
The Last Of Us
After a global pandemic destroys civilization, a hardened survivor takes charge of a 14-year-old girl who may be humanity's last hope.
How Did Pedro Pascal Get Cast As Joel in ‘The Last of Us’?
Pedro Pascal may not have been the very first name to come up when casting Joel in The Last of Us, but he was still among the earliest contenders. According to series co-creator Craig Mazin on the
"Happy Sad Confused" podcast, there was a time when casting Pedro Pascal as Joel didn't seem like a possibility. Mazin was initially told that Pascal wasn't available, which makes sense given the actor's superstar status after Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian. However, luck seemed to be in Mazin's favor. Mazin says he soon got a call saying Pascal may be available, and it's clear that this ended up being a perfect thing for the show. Mazin praised Pascal and their early casting interactions in the following statements:
"Normally when you send scripts to actors like this, you're lucky if you get a read within a month. He was in England at the time working a movie and I thought between the movie and the time change, this will be forever...Just love at first sight, and he was just so immediately insightful."
The excitement was mutual, as Pascal clearly fell in love with the role (even though he apparently briefly forgot about being cast after taking some Ambien). According to Pascal himself, the actor was "blown away" by the script and still looks fondly at the role. While he wasn't able to play the game himself, Pascal still somehow perfectly captured the essence of an iconic video game character, and it's one that he's set to play again in the upcoming The Last of Us Season 2.
Matthew McConaughey Was in Early Talks To Play Joel in ‘The Last of Us’
In that same podcast interview, Craig Mazin also revealed that another big name was in the running for Joel in The Last of Us series. That individual was Academy Award-winner Matthew McConaughey, a regular fan-favorite fancast for the part long before Pescal was cast. The Dazed and Confused star's Southern drawl and propensity for playing concerned father figures like in Interstellar certainly make him an inspired choice, even with how good Pascal ended up being in the role. While McConaughey was a desirable option, Mazin also revealed that talks of McConaughey's casting were early and preliminary, and he's ultimately glad they went with Pedro:
"I did talk to Matthew. I can't say that it was serious, it was more of just like, 'Hey, here's something we can talk about. It's one of those things where I'm sure there's an alternate universe where it's a different guy. Look, Matthew McConaughey is an amazing actor, I'm sure it would've been great, but it would've been different and I like the one that we made."
There have been many rumors regarding who else was considered for the role of Joel in The Last of Us, but McConaughey is the only one who's been officially confirmed by the creative team. One name that was regularly brought up in rumors before Pascal's casting was Moonlight and upcoming Blade star Mahershala Ali, but Mazin said that he never spoke to Ali about the role. Another name brought up was Avengers: Infinity War and Dune star Josh Brolin, but this was more of a fancast from the person behind the voice of Joel in the games.
Who Voices Joel in 'The Last of Us' Game?
The voice behind Joel in the original The Last of Us video game is Troy Baker - a name that any video game superfan will undoubtedly recognize. Over the years, the voice acting guru has over 400 IMDb-credited roles and counting, with some of his prestigious work including Bioshock Infinite, Batman: Arkham Knight, and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. He's also set to fill an iconic fedora in the upcoming Xbox title, Indiana Jones and the Golden Circle.
Troy Baker didn't end up reprising his role in The Last of Us show, but he did end up appearing in a more villainous cameo. Troy Baker appears towards the end of Season 1 as James, one of the underlings of David (Scott Shepherd) and his cult-like community of cannibals. Troy's not the only star from the game to return either, as Ellie's voice, Ashley Johnson, also appears in a somewhat meta capacity as Ellie's mother. One of the few voice actors who does reprise their role from the game Merle Dandridge, who once again played the complicated Firefly leader Marlene.
Troy was the one who suggested Josh Brolin would be a great live-action portrayal of Joel. He may have been right, but it's clear to see that Pedro Pascal has certainly made the part his own.
