# Matthew McConaughey says no to Joel in The Last of Us

2026-08-14T04:04:41+00:00 | Entertainment | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 2 independent outlets

Matthew McConaughey has revealed that HBO approached him to play Joel in the hit series The Last of Us, but he turned it down. The actor said on the Happy Sad Confused podcast that the role was not for him at the time, as he was focusing on writing and leadership roles. The part eventually went to Pedro Pascal, who earned widespread praise.

## Coverage

- timesofindia.indiatimes.com <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/english/hollywood/news/matthew-mcconaughey-reveals-why-he-turned-down-playing-joel-in-the-last-of-us-it-was-really-good-but-/articleshow/133224345.cms>
- economictimes.indiatimes.com <https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international/global-trends/hbo-originally-approached-this-top-actor-to-play-the-role-of-joel-in-the-last-of-us/articleshow/133222786.cms>

Tags: casting news, HBO series, Matthew McConaughey, Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us, True Detective
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