Matthew McConaughey has revealed his reasons for not accepting the role of Joel Miller in HBO's critically acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us. The actor, who was reportedly considered for the part that ultimately went to Pedro Pascal, explained in an interview with the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the commitment required for a television series was not something he was looking for at the time.
McConaughey noted that in the early 2020s, when the show was in development, he was not actively pursuing acting roles. His focus was more on writing and leadership positions in his personal life. He also expressed a general reluctance to engage in television projects, with the exception of his early work on True Detective. He described the success of True Detective as a significant achievement at a time when actors of his caliber were not typically venturing into series television.
"I wasn’t really acting at that point," McConaughey stated. "I think that was part of when I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles and in life and stuff. It was really good. I was really excited. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’m not a huge TV watcher, but […] we pulled off a real coup with True Detective at a time when series were not something that actors like myself or Woody Harrelson would hop over and go do. And that one succeeded in a real royal fashion."
Regarding The Last of Us, he continued, "Last of Us was really good, it wasn’t for me at the time. I don’t know what would have been for me at the time. I guess that the first thing that [I] came across was Rivals [of Amziah King] that I went like, ‘Oh this is extremely particular.’ It’s a movie. It’s one movie, and a series you do have to consider, you want this to succeed. Well in success, this is something you’ll be doing for years and years and years. Do I want for that to be the case in success?"
The actor's decision meant that the role of Joel, the grizzled survivor tasked with escorting Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States, went to Pedro Pascal. Pascal's portrayal of Joel has been widely praised, and the series has since been renewed for a third season. The upcoming season is expected to focus on Kaitlyn Dever as Abby.
McConaughey's comments suggest that the choice was less about the quality of The Last of Us and more about his personal career trajectory and preference for contained film projects over multi-year television commitments, even for a successful show.