The Last of Us actor reveals which Hollywood star almost played Joel before Pedro Pascal

Oscar winner was almost cast in lead role

A Last of Us actor has revealed who almost played Joel before Pedro Pascal.

Pascal plays the lead rol opposite Bella Ramsey in the HBO series, which is based on Neil Druckmann’s video game.

Druckmann co-created The Last of Us series alongside Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin, and it’s received immense acclaim from critics and audiences.

Pascal and Ramsey’s on-screen chemistry has been widely praised as a highlight, and it’s hard to imagine the show being quite so good without them.

But there were probably many actors considered for each role – and one other star to have been considered has seeminglky been revealed by Jeffrey Pierce.

Pierce, who voiced the role of Joel’s brother, Tommy, in the video game, appeared in the fourth and fifth episode as Perry.

Recalling the realisation that he wasn’t going to be asked to play Tommy in the series, Perry toldThe Direct: “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, 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.”

It’s no surprise to discover that Ali was considered for the show. The two-time Oscar winner, who won for Moonlight and Green Book in 2017 and 2019, won rave reviews for his role in the third series of True Detective.

Mahershala Ali was considered for Joel role in ‘The Last of Us (Getty Images)

However, the show certainly wouldn’t be the same without Pascal, who also currntly stars in the third season of Star Wars series The Mandalorian.

Some viewers tuning in to watdh the first episode of the new season were left feeling very confused, with other Star Wars fans forced to step in to clarify a big detail regarding the series.

The Mandalorian continues on Disey Plus on Wednesdays, while the remaining episode of The Last of Us will be available to watch in the UK at 2am on Monday (13 March) on NOW. The episode will then be shown again at 9pm later that day.

The Independent has contacted HBO and Ali’s reps for comment.