While Pedro Pascal is undoubtedly a beloved actor and will give his all in playing Joel from The Last of Us, in an alternate world we could have had another fan-favorite performer in the role as Jensen Ackles let fans know he wanted the part in the HBO adaptation.
During a recent Supernatural convention, Ackles claimed he pushed hard for the role but admits he wasn’t in serious consideration for the series. Don’t worry, fans; Ackles says he is starring in a video game adaptation soon.
“I was really kind of pushing hard, but I don’t think I was really in the mix or really had a shot at it, but– for Pedro Pascal’s role in The Last of Us,” says Ackles. “I really, I was like– that was high up on my radar. That being said, I am about to head up to LA to shoot a whole day for a new game that’s coming out as a character… I can’t say what it is just yet, but you’ll find out soon enough.”
Check out the video with Ackles’s statement below…
Jensen Ackles (The Boys, Supernatural) wanted to play Joel in HBO's #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/HxdNwe8NOz
— The Last of Us TV (@TheLastofUsTV) December 19, 2022
Jensen Ackles would star in the most recent season of The Boys, instantly becoming a fan-favorite playing Soldier Boy. Meanwhile The Last of Us, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, is set to premiere for HBO on January 15th, 2023.
The Last of Us story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) as Joel and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) as Ellie alongside Gabriel Luna, Merle Dandridge, Jeffrey Pierce, Anna Torv, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett, Nick Offerman, Lamar Johnson, Storm Reid, Keivonn Woodard, Graham Greene, and Elaine Miles.
The Last of Us will premiere on January 15th.
