The latest episode of Josh Horowitz’s podcast, “Happy Sad Confused,” is out, with Matthew McConaughey as the guest. The hour-long episode brought out some great stories from the last, including the fact that the A-list celebrity turned down “The Last of Ushttps://entertainmentnow.com/news/last-of-us-danny-ramirez-exit/.”
The HBO series ended up with Pedro Pascal taking on the lead role, and most fans couldn’t imagine it without him. In fact, his character’s death in the second season led to multiple people complaining, as the story just didn’t feel the same. Yet, it could have been entirely different.
Matthew McConaughey Said No to ‘The Last of Us’
GettyDuring the Aug. 13, 2026, episode, McConaughey shared that co-creator and showrunner, Craig Mazin, brought “The Last of Us” to him while it was still in the early development stages. There was a full discussion about him taking on the leading role, and while he did admit that it sounded like a great series, it wasn’t for him at the time.
This was a case of the right project, wrong time, it seems. He was focusing on writing, and he didn’t want to take on a long-term TV project when it was brought to him. It’s clear he knew that this series could (and would) go far, and he thought it would be better in someone else’s hands.
He went on to share that it had nothing to do with the genre, the writing, or even the general idea. He wanted a leadership role in a project during this period of time, and he admits that he didn’t really know what “would’ve been for [him].” If it had been a movie, he may have been more receptive to it, but he didn’t want to be locked into a project for years at a time, which is what could happen with any TV show, even in today’s age of one-season cancellations.
“It’s a movie. It’s one movie. A series, I do consider, ‘Well, you want this to succeed, and in its success, this is something you’ll be doing for years and years and years.’ Do I want that to be the case?”
While on the podcast, though, he did debunk the rumor that he was offered a chance to star in “Titanic.” The first part of the podcast makes it clear that he was never offered the role, although he did audition for it. Instead, he was the one who was turned down for the part of Jack Dawson, which went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Craig Mazin Likes What Was Made
GettyThis isn’t the first time fans are heading that the “Lincoln Lawyer” actor was in discussions about “The Last of Us.” In 2023, Mazin also shared with Horowitz that he had conversations with McConaughey about the possibility of playing Joel.
However, he’s not mad that the actor eventually turned it down. This was still in early development, and while McConaughey is a great actor, Mazin knows that it would have ended up being a completely different show. A lot of energy comes from the leading actor, and Pascal brought something McConaughey couldn’t have.
It’s not like the series had to go looking for someone else to take on the role. Pascal was always at the top of everyone’s thoughts when it came to getting the series off the ground, and Mazin sent him the scripts to see if he would be interested. Fortunately, it was a yes, and the rest is history.
“The Last of Us” Season 3 is still in development. This is confirmed as the final season of the HBO series, but no release date is confirmed as of yet.
