Matthew McConaughey already has something of a reputation among horror fans due to his role as Vilmer in the infamous Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (an insanely underrated movie), as well as his phenomenal performance as Detective Rust in the first season of HBO’s True Detective.
However, a recent interview on the Happy Sad Confused podcast revealed that the Texan actor almost added another horror-themed notch to his belt when he was offered the role of Joel in HBO’s 2023 adaptation of The Last of Us.
According to McConaughey, he wasn’t really interested in committing to television at the time, explaining that he turned down the role because “[with a] series, you do have to consider if you want this to succeed. In success, this is something you’ll be doing for years and years and years. Do I want that to be the case?”
He notes, “Last of Us was really good… it wasn’t for me at the time.”
On the same podcast, The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin had previously spoken about reaching out to the Academy-Award-Winning actor and offering him the role of the Texan-smuggler-turned-father-figure, though negotiations never went very far. Mazin even added that, while McConaughey would have been great in the role, he’s satisfied with the existing version of the post-apocalyptic show – which stars the fan-favorite Pedro Pascal as Joel.
Of course, it’s never too late for Matthew McConaughey to join another horror project, especially if he’s allowed to take on a character as unhinged as Vilmer. We’ll be waiting…
