Pedro Pascal Almost Lost the Iconic ‘Joel’ Role to This ‘Oscar Winning Actor’: The Last of Us Star Reveals Stunning BTS Details

HBO’s The Last of Us television needs no introduction. Currently, it is one of the highest-rated and most acclaimed series in the world. From a grim dark story that offers an in-depth perspective into the human psyche to phenomenal performances by some of the most talented individuals in Hollywood, the show, according to many, is ‘perfect’. 

Both of the main cast of the show, Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, did a phenomenal job. However, a recent revelation from one of the actors in the show has revealed that Pedro wasn’t the first choice for the character. He was almost replaced by an actor from Marvel movies.

A Marvel Actor was almost cast as Joel in The Last of Us series

Pedro Pascal is a phenomenal actor. His work in the Mandalorian, Narcos, and Game of Thrones has gained him a lot of acclaims. Although in the series, fans deemed him to be one of the best possible options for the character of the show, initially the showrunners had different plans for the character.

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In an interview with The Direct, Jeffrey Pierce who plays the character of Perry in the show shared that Mahershala Ali who is cast as the title character of Marvel’s upcoming vampire-hunting superhero movie, Blade, was also chosen to play the veteran smuggler, Joel, in The Last of Us. 

“I think initially they had talked to Mahershala Ali about playing Joel, which is an obvious cue that I’m not gonna play Tommy… And when they cast Pedro [Pascal], I knew like, yeah, that was certainly not going to happen regardless, I’m older than Pedro Pascal. So I was not harbouring any illusions about that, for sure,” said Jeffrey when asked if he was ever considered playing the character of Joel. 

Jeffrey Pierce was also the voice talent of Joel’s brother Tommy in the original gaming series. In the interview, he shared how excited he was to get the opportunity to be a part of the television series as well. “I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is gonna be so much fun’,” said Pierce after the creator of the LOU and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann handed him the script. 

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How would you have reacted if Mahershala Ali was cast as Joel in the series? Let us know in the comments below!