Top 10 Times Pedro Pascal Was Awesome SPONSORED
#10: His Name is Inigo Montoya
Top 10 Moments That Made Us Love Pedro Pascal
With the world under lockdown at the height of the pandemic, numerous actors joined forces for a home movie remake of “The Princess Bride.” Several big names were recruited to play Spanish swashbuckler Inigo Montoya. While they all shine in the role, Pascal is a standout. Pascal gets the Inigo look down almost to a T with dashing locks of hair and a classy mustache, although he makes an interesting wardrobe choice below the belt. Honestly, if the 1987 classic was missing one thing, it was those green shorts! Working off Rainn Wilson as Vizzini and Jason Segel as Fezzik, Pascal recreates the infinitely quotable rhyming scene that’ll leave you wanting a peanut. We dreamed of this casting choice and Pascal replied, “As you wish.”
#9: Hunting Down Pablo Escobar on “Narcos”
On the heels of several prominent guest spots, “Narcos” solidified Pascal’s star power. Pascal played Javier Peña, a DEA agent pursuing Pablo Escobar. While Escobar was already an infamous name, Pascal’s performance helped shine the light on Peña’s efforts to hunt down the seemingly untouchable drug lord. After Escobar is taken out of the picture, Pascal assumes the protagonist position as Peña fights the Cali cartel. Although Peña is essentially this story’s hero, some of his choices are morally gray to put it gently, often getting his own hands dirty to clean up the streets. To prepare for the role, Pascal met the real Peña. The two kept in contact via email with Peña telling Pascal about a FedEx girl who really liked the character.
#8: Demonstrating His “Massive Talent” with Nicolas Cage
“The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” not only serves as a meta-commentary on Nic Cage’s career, but also an uproarious buddy comedy thanks to Pascal’s presence as eccentric billionaire Javi Gutierrez. Pascal shares natural chemistry with Cage, whether they’re attempting to climb a wall on a bad LSD trip or bonding over the incredible “Paddington 2.” Just as Javi fanboys over the Oscar winner, Pascal also idolized Cage well before landing the part. Pascal believes that his vast knowledge of Cage movies helped convince the filmmakers to cast him. In that sense, we guess you could say that both actors were tailor-made for their respective roles. While Pascal kept it professional, he was starstruck upon meeting Cage and seeing “those blue eyes.”
#7: Reflecting on His “Buffy” Guest Spot
In one of his earliest TV roles, Pascal appeared on the Season 4 premiere of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” shortly after graduating. Credited as Pedro Balmaceda, he played a college Freshman named Eddie, whose encounter with a vampire gang puts a damper on his blossoming relationship with a certain slayer. Given his brief stint, some might’ve forgotten that Pascal was on “Buffy.” Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t, however. In 2023, Gellar shared a throwback photo of the two captioned, “When #Mother met #Father.” Although Pascal has come a long way since his “Buffy” days, he was beyond excited that Gellar remembered him. Pascal also has vivid memories of Gellar and his fleeting time on the show. Gellar followed up, “As if I could ever forget you.”
#6: THE Oberyn Martell
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Given the amount of career-making performances on “Game of Thrones,” it becomes all the more remarkable to think that Pedro Pascal, on the cusp of fame, managed to steal the show in only 7 episodes in season 4. Pascal’s portrayal of the Red Viper of Dorne, Oberyn Martell was absolutely dripping with magnetism and cockiness, and brought chaos in his wake. Unfortunately, his character, like many fan-favorites on the series, didn’t live to a ripe old age. But while we very much wanted to unsee that horrible end, we kind of knew then and there that that might not be the last time we’d see Pedro Pascal on our screens.
#5: Hosting “Saturday Night Live”
2023 might just be the year of Pedro Pascal, who’s career is booming. In February, he hosted “SNL” for the first time, kicking it off with a monologue showing his genuine joy to be there. He also notably donned a ‘stache and plumber’s uniform for a gritty “Mario Kart” series parody trailer, a show we didn’t know we needed until now. But the most loved moment of the night has to be the skit with Pascal as a cool high school teacher, the subject of many of students’ fancam edits. That’s something the actor himself can likely relate to. From his touching monologue to his hilarious character breaks, Pedro Pascal’s excitement as host made him one of the show’s best yet.
#4: Supporting His Sister Lux Pascal
Did you know there’s more than one thespian in the Pascal family? That’s right. Pedro’s younger sister Lux is an actress, activist, and a soon-to-be Juilliard School graduate. In February 2021, she appeared on the cover of Ya magazine. Her proud big bro shared it on Instagram, with the caption “Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux” meaning “My sister, my heart, our Lux.” This was also when the actress first publicly talked about her identity as a trans woman, her transition, and her activism in the transgender community. Lux also credited her brother as a vital source of support during her journey to becoming her authentic self.
#3: Bringing Joel to Life on “The Last of Us”
When you need somebody to play a badass father figure who’ll stop at nothing to protect their small companion against a ruthless backdrop, you call Pedro Pascal. We all let out a collective shriek of joy when Pascal was cast as Joel in the anticipated adaptation of the hit video game. The same can be said about Bella Ramsey as Ellie. If their chemistry on the press tour wasn’t proof enough, Pascal and Ramsey channeled their respective characters from the pilot episode onward. Pascal is heartbreaking as a broken man given a second shot at fatherhood, slowly coming to recognize a young stranger as his surrogate daughter. In addition to flawlessly balancing Joel’s grit and vulnerability, Pascal has possibly given us the meme of 2023.
#2: Becoming the Mandalorian
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Pedro Pascal has been on a steady rise to fame since 2014 when he appeared in the fourth season of “Game of Thrones” as Oberyn Martell. But by 2019, nearly everyone knew the actor as the star of Disney+’s first live-action “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian.” His initial disbelief that creator Jon Favreau wanted him to be the lead shows his true humility as a performer. While his character Din Djarin tried (and failed) to resist bonding with the Child, Pascal has developed a paternal love for Grogu. Yes, he’s phenomenal in the role because he’s a talented actor. But his dedication to the part and endearing child-like excitement to be in the franchise make his performance out of this world. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Virtual Reading with the Cast of “Community” Pascal NEEDS to Come Back for #AndAMovie TikTok Live Lovefest Pascal Reciprocates the Love from His Fans His Essentials Interview Are We the Only Ones Who Want Pascal to Play Cap’n Crunch? Lie Detector Test So, How About That “Game of Thrones” Finale, Eh? Dancing with Tiffany Haddish We Already Knew the Man Could Dance But This Interaction Was Priceless
#1: His Friendship with Oscar Isaac
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What happens when two of today’s most beloved actors are best friends in real life? The Internet goes nuts! Pedro Pascal and Oscar Isaac’s friendship can be traced to their off-Broadway days in the mid-2000s. And before the Daddy War of 2022, they shared the screen in 2019’s “Triple Frontier.” While doing press for the film, their WIRED interview became the ultimate showcase of their chaotic friendship. We get discussions on facial hair, muppet look-alikes, Isaac’s international language of annoying, and more. So we totally see why the video was liked over 300,000 times. The close bond the pair share is the best, though Pascal’s friendship with Sarah Paulson is a close second.
