Matthew McConaughey, 56, revealed Thursday that he passed on playing Joel Miller in HBO’s hit video game adaptation “The Last of Us,” the role that earned Pedro Pascal two Emmy nominations.
During an appearance on Josh Horowitz’s “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the “Interstellar” actor said he “seriously considered” signing on for the project before ultimately deciding it “wasn’t for [him] at the time.” Horowitz pressed McConaughey on whether he had genuinely contemplated taking the part, and the Oscar winner confirmed he had.
“I wasn’t really acting at that point,” McConaughey told Horowitz. “I was doing more writing and looking at leadership roles in life. It was really good. I was really excited.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, I’m not a huge TV watcher … 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,” he added. “That one succeeded in a real royal fashion.”
McConaughey earned an Emmy nomination in 2014 for his lead role as Rust Cohle in HBO’s “True Detective,” in which he starred alongside Harrelson, 65, who also received a nomination that year for his role as Martin Hart. The first season of the anthology crime drama became a cultural phenomenon and helped spark the so-called “McConaissance” in the actor’s career.
The “Dallas Buyers Club” star also told Horowitz that he didn’t “know what would have been for [him] at the time” when he was first contacted about “The Last of Us.” He noted that the project’s format gave him pause, explaining that a film commitment differs fundamentally from a series that could stretch across many years.
“The first thing I came across was [‘The Rivals of Amziah King’],” McConaughey said. “I went like, ‘Oh, this is extremely particular.’ It’s movie. It’s one movie. 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?”
Craig Mazin, the co-creator and showrunner of “The Last of Us,” had previously discussed approaching McConaughey for the role during a June 2023 appearance on the same “Happy Sad Confused” podcast. Mazin told Horowitz that he “can’t say that it was serious” and described the outreach as “more of a, like, ‘Hey, here’s something to talk about.'”
Mazin noted that Pascal had been one of their contenders for the role from the start but was initially unavailable due to scheduling conflicts. “It’s one of those things where… I’m sure there’s an alternate universe where it’s a different guy,” Mazin said at the time.
“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,” Mazin concluded.
Including Pascal’s two lead actor nods, “The Last of Us” has received 40 total Emmy nominations between 2023 and 2025, taking home nine trophies. The post-apocalyptic drama, based on the acclaimed Naughty Dog video game, follows Joel as he escorts teenager Ellie across a devastated America, with Pascal’s performance drawing widespread critical acclaim.
McConaughey is currently promoting his crime thriller “The Rivals of Amziah King,” which hits theaters Friday. The film marks his return to leading roles after a period of relative quiet in his acting career, during which he focused on writing, producing, and various personal projects including his “Just Keep Livin'” foundation.
In the viral moment that sparked this revelation, McConaughey’s podcast comments quickly circulated across entertainment outlets, with fans speculating about how his interpretation of Joel might have differed from Pascal’s gritty, emotionally restrained portrayal. The role became one of the most celebrated performances in recent television history, making McConaughey’s decision a notable what-if in Hollywood casting lore.
McConaughey’s next confirmed project remains “The Rivals of Amziah King,” with no other major film or television roles publicly announced beyond his ongoing creative development work.