Internet’s ‘Daddy’/’Zaddy’, Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal, is having a moment, and there is no escaping it. The man who made us sit up and take notice in small but impactful roles in Game of Thrones and Narcos is suddenly everywhere, causing waves on screen and off it. And for once, too much of a good thing feels like a not-too-bad thing.
It just feels like yesterday that we were rooting for the flamboyant, openly bisexual Dornish lord Oberyn Martell in Season 4 of Game of Thrones, only for him to meet one of the most gruesome deaths (we’ll remember the shock on our faces reflected back at us on the black screen for a long time). We were impressed with Pascal’s turn as the tight trouser-wearing Javier Pena in Narcos and we were wooed well by his lariat-wielding Whiskey in Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Our appetites were whetted by glimpses of his endearing friendship with bestie Oscar Isaac but nothing had prepared us for the Pascal storm that was about to hit.
The Crossover Phenomenon
Pascal, an A-lister at age 50, currently stars in not one but two of the biggest shows on television. As Din Djarin, a masked bounty hunter in The Mandalorian, he made audiences emotionally invested in a man whose face we hardly see and whose best friend is a green — albeit cute — puppet. He’s also been confirmed to return in The Mandalorian & Grogu movie.
And then there’s The Last of Us, where he plays Joel — a gruff apocalypse survivor-turned-reluctant father figure to Bella Ramsey’s Ellie. In Season 2 of The Last of Us, which dropped recently, Pascal once again proved he can carry the emotional weight of the end of the world on his back — and still look good doing it.
Between The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, he’s conquered both the Star Wars universe and the gaming community. That’s like being knighted by two of the internet’s most passionate (and frequently unhinged) fandoms.
Not satisfied with conquering two fandoms, he’s now officially part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well, playing Mister Fantastic Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, where he’s going to be stretchy, brainy and probably still heartbreakingly hot. At this point, Pascal is almost fandom royalty.
Cannes you believe it?
Just when you thought Pascal couldn’t get any more swoon-worthy, he shows up at Cannes and breaks the internet, with his arms.
Sporting a black sleeveless tunic that screamed ‘hot Daddy’, Pascal posed with his Eddington co-stars, flashed some serious biceps, and made half of Twitter feel faint. Social feeds lit up with comments like ‘My new religion is Pedro Pascal’s arms’, and fans joked they were feeling Victorian awkwardness at the sight of his reveal. Fans dubbed him ‘Daddy Pascal’ all over again, which is basically his full-time job title at this point.
He blew kisses, playfully stuck out his tongue and caused a scene simply by existing. Also, in true Pascal fashion, he protected Eddington co-star Emma Stone from a rogue bee and posed for selfies. If charm were currency, Pascal would be financing the Cannes Film Festival singlehandedly.
And then he went and kissed Alexander Skarsgård on the cheek during a standing ovation for the latter’s film Pillion. Cue the collective internet sigh. It wasn’t just adorable, it was a masterclass in modern masculinity. Move over, alpha bros. The era of soft strength and public displays of platonic affection has arrived — and Pascal’s leading the charge, especially if his unexpected but utterly delightful off-screen chemistry with his Materialists co-star Chris Evans is anything to go by.
When Pascal and Evans appeared together in ad campaigns and awards show interactions, it was like watching two golden retrievers becoming best friends in real time. Their banter has everything the internet craves: mutual admiration, goofy energy, and just enough flirtatiousness to launch a thousand fan edits. Whether it’s Evans cracking up at Pascal’s jokes or Pascal resting his head on Evans’s shoulder during press events, it’s pure serotonin.
He flies coach, like a legend
In a plot twist no PR team could have manufactured, Pedro Pascal was spotted flying economy class to the 78th Cannes Film Festival. No entourage, no drama; just Pascal, a British Airways seat, and a coffee.
A fellow passenger filmed him politely retrieving a forgotten phone, queueing up at the busy airport and casually chatting in the aisle. In a time when celebrities are getting cancelled for carbon footprints the size of small nations, Pascal’s humble travel habits feel like a refreshing sip of sparkling water on a hot day.
More than just a meme
Pascal has long been a meme icon — from eating sandwich mid-interview to tender panicked Joel moments on The Last of Us. There’s the viral ‘Pedro eating a sandwich’ video. The ‘He’s just a tired single dad’ thread on X. The dozens of ‘emotional support man’ TikToks. And most recently a video of Pascal calling himself a “lazy 50-year-old bougie bitch”.
But beyond the punchlines, he brings something rare: warmth. He’s silly without being cringey, sincere without being self-righteous. He supports his sister, trans actress and activist Lux, publicly and fiercely, and has spoken out on trans rights, even publicly criticising anti-trans rhetoric. He speaks out against hate, and he’s not afraid to take political or social stances, championing creativity and self-expression, even declaring, “F*** the people that try to make you scared… keep telling the stories.”
What’s next in the Pascalosphere?
Cannes marked the debut of Ari Aster’s film Eddington, with Pascal billing alongside Emma Stone, Joaquin Phoenix and Austin Butler as Eddington mayor who goes up against Phoenix. He also stars in the Celine Song-directed romcom Materialists as one-third of a triangle with Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans.
In July he is stretching his way into the MCU with The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Reeds Richards, a role he will be reprising in the next Avengers movie. There is clearly no stopping the man, and this is just in the first half of 2025.
Pascal is a rare celebrity who feels like a best friend, a protector and a good man all at once. He flies coach. He fights monsters. He hugs Chris Evans. And somewhere between Cannes kisses and space helmets, he’s managed to become the internet’s most cherished human.
In a world too often ruled by ego, Pascal is proof that kindness, humility and a sense of humour still win hearts. Long may he reign, sleeves optional.