Jeffrey Pierce, who has starred in both the game and ‘The Last of Us’ TV series, has revealed that Pedro Pascal wasn’t the only actor HBO considered for the role of Joel in an interview with The Direct. Pierce commented that Naughty Dog’s original plans for the live-action adaptation of the video game included Oscar winner Mahershala Ali.
A change from the game
The actor reveals how Ali was one of the actors HBO met with for the lead role before officially landing Pascal, while noting that he will not reprise his video game role in the series_
“I think they had initially talked to Mahershala Ali about playing Joel, which is an obvious sign that I’m not going to play Tommy. And when they chose Pedro Pascal, I knew that, yeah, that certainly wasn’t going to happen anyway, I’m older than Pedro Pascal. So I wasn’t getting my hopes up about it, for sure.”
Both Ali and Pascal have previously collaborated with HBO on popular series like ‘True Detective’ (season 3) and ‘Game of Thrones’, respectively. Despite not being able to get into ‘The Last of Us,’ Ali still continues his association with the channel, as he is ready to play boxing legend Jack Johnson in an upcoming limited series titled ‘Unruly’.
While audiences can’t see Ali fighting zombies, they will see the acclaimed actor take on another form of monster in thea highly anticipated new ‘Blade’ movie, which looks set to begin filming in spring 2023 after a few logistical issues with the script, including changes in director and perspective with the film’s tone.