Supernatural's Ackles Pushed for Last of Us Role, But Something Went Wrong
Jensen Ackles has recently dropped a bomb when he told his fans that there was one character that he wanted to portray but failed to get the part.
During a recent Supernatural convention the 44 year-old actor has revealed that he was dreaming of playing Joel in HBO's Last of Us show.
"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," Jensen has told the Supernatural fans. The series was "high up on my radar", he added.
Joel's part is played by Pedro Pascal, who we all know as Javier Pena of Narcos and Oberyn Martell of Games of Thrones.
HBO's Last of Us is based on the popular action-adventure video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment. The post-apocalyptic drama series tells the story of two survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler whose task is to accompany the teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on her journey across the post-apocalyptic United States looking for a remedy against a deadly virus.
It's no secret that as a rule video game adaptations fail to meet fans' expectations. There were only two adaptations in the past – the Sonic franchise or Arcane – which were successful. But one of the series' creators Craig Mazin, who is a gamer himself, has no doubts the show will be success too.
"It's an open-and-shut case: this is the greatest story that has ever been told in video games," he said in his interview with Empire Magazine.
But what about Ackles inhabiting Joel? Some fans believe that he would have made the perfect Joel because he is an emotional actor and he is a Texan. Others argue that it is Hugh Jackman who's better fit to play Joel. Wolverine he has played for years has a similar attitude as Joel does i.e. rough and quiet. If you want to understand what he feels just look at his face and read it, one of the comments says.
But for others Jensen Ackles is a no go since people can see him only as Supernatural's Dean Winchester fighting monsters. He has never played a character similar to Joel's – mostly teenage heartthrobs, who are nowhere close to tough guy Joel, one of the redditors says.
He is too young to play Joel, other people believe. Joel was 52 in the game and Jensen in only 44, so Pedro Pascal is the perfect fit as he is 47, the fans say adding that Ackles' role in Boys Season 3 ruined him as a serious actor.
The Last of Us, which was filmed in Canada's Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022 has become Canada's largest television production. It is scheduled to be released on HBO and HBO Max on January 15, 2023.