Supernatural actor Jensen Ackles wanted the role of Joel in The Last of Us TV show

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As we now know, the role ended up going to Pedro Pascal

The Last of Us
(Image credit: HBO)

Jensen Ackles was apparently "pushing hard" for the role of Joel in HBO's The Last of Us TV series, before ultimately losing out to Pedro Pascal. 

Speaking at a Supernatural panel at Nashcon 2022, Ackles lamented on his experience missing out on the role of Joel Miller in the upcoming The Last of Us TV show. Speaking about the role, Ackles said: "I was really pushing hard, I don't think I was really in the mix or even had a shot at it, but for Pedro Pascal's role in The Last of Us. That was really high up on my radar."

As we know now, the role instead went to The Mandalorian actor Pedro Pascal, who is set to play Joel in the series when it releases on January 15, 2023. Alongside Pascal, the rest of the cast will feature Game of Thrones actor Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Parks and Recreation actor Nick Offerman as Bill, Terminator: Dark Fate actor Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, plus many more. 

It's not all bad, though. In a follow-up clip - shared by @city_willow on Twitter - Ackles reveals that he's involved in another gaming project. He didn't, however, give fans much to go off of in terms of what it is. "That being said, I am about to head 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," Ackles teased.  

Want to know more about the upcoming show? HBO recently released some new The Last of Us footage.

Hope Bellingham
Hope Bellingham
News Writer

After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training.  My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.