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José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal (Spanish: [xoˈse ˈpeðɾo βalmaˈseða pasˈkal]; born April 2, 1975) is a Chilean and American actor. After nearly two decades of taking small roles in film and television, Pascal had his breakout role as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones (2014). He gained further prominence with his portrayal of Javier Peña in the Netflix crime series Narcos (2015–2017). He went on to appear in the films The Great Wall (2016), Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), The Equalizer 2 (2018), and Triple Frontier (2019).

Pascal's leading roles as Din Djarin in the Disney+ science fiction series The Mandalorian (2019–present) and Joel Miller in the HBO post-apocalyptic drama series The Last of Us (2023–present) propelled him to international stardom, earning him a reputation for portraying adoptive father figures and establishing him as a sex symbol. For the latter role, he received numerous accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award and a nomination for a Golden Globe Award. Around that time, Pascal would also become a popular figure in meme culture.

Pascal's subsequent film roles were in Wonder Woman 1984 (2020) and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022). Active in theatre since 1999, he made his Broadway debut as Edmund in a 2019 adaptation of King Lear.[1] Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.

Pascal made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live on February 4, 2023, the twelfth episode of Saturday Night Live's 48th season, with musical guests Coldplay, the legendary British pop rock band.

Pascal then cameoed on October 21, 2023, the second episode of Saturday Night Live's 49th season, with host and musical guest Bad Bunny. He appeared in the opening monologue, respiring his role as Claudia Flores in the "Protective Mom 2" sketch and introduces Bad Bunny's second performance "Monaco".

In 2014, Pascal portrayed the character Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO's critically acclaimed television series Game of Thrones. The season aired from April 6 to June 15, 2014, and Pascal's performance as the passionate and vengeful Dornish prince garnered significant praise from both critics and audiences, with numerous publications, including CNET, Collider, The Mary Sue, Time, and Esquire naming Martell as one of the best characters in the show. The Los Angeles Times praised him as a sex symbol in the role, calling it "the real tipping point in his career"; MovieWeb assessed that his career "skyrocket[ed]" after playing Martell. Pascal stated that he was a huge fan of the show before being cast as Oberyn and was ecstatic to join. As part of the ensemble, he has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

In the 2015 movie Bloodsucking Bastards, Pascal portrayed the vampire Max. In April 2015, Pascal co-starred with Heidi Klum in the music video for Sia's "Fire Meet Gasoline". In August 2015, Pascal gained further recognition for his portrayal as Javier Peña, based on a real-life DEA agent, in the popular Netflix crime drama series Narcos. The show's two first seasons depict the rise and fall of the infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar and the subsequent Medellín Cartel, as the show's focus shifted to the Cali Cartel for its third and final season, Pascal took on the role of both lead actor and narrator.

In 2016, he portrayed mercenary Pero Tovar in the fantasy action film The Great Wall, alongside Matt Damon, and directed by Zhang Yimou. Set against the backdrop of the iconic Great Wall of China, the film follows European mercenaries who become embroiled in a battle against ancient creatures threatening humanity. Despite the film's visually stunning production and ambitious scope, it received mixed reviews for its narrative and character development. Filmed on location in Qingdao, China. Pascal has voiced his admiration for Zhang, whom he had been a fan of during his youth.

In 2017, Pascal portrayed the charismatic and skilled operative within the Statesman organization, Jack Daniels, also known as Agent Whiskey, in Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman: The Golden Circle. Writing for Collider, Chris Sasaguay called his character "one cool cowboy", observing his "genuine love for getting into a cutthroat brawl", and praising the "playful side that comes so easily to Pascal [...] which isn’t lost in playing Whiskey, turning him into a worthy new character to stand beside the Kingsman agents".

In 2018, he starred as Dave York, the main antagonist, in Denzel Washington's thriller sequel film The Equalizer 2. In Prospect, Pascal portrayed the character Ezra, a seasoned and enigmatic prospector navigating a dangerous alien moon in search of valuable resources. CNET's Monisha Ravisetti was "delightfully surprised when Pedro Pascal showed up in a burnt orange spacesuit", and Dais Johnston retroactively compared the role to Pascal's future characters in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, writing for Inverse, "Pedro Pascal plays a gruff man who only looks out for himself until a child softens his heart". In 2018's If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by Barry Jenkins and based on James Baldwin's novel, Pascal made a cameo appearance as Pietro Alvarez, a frivolous yet crucial character who ultimately reveals a compassionate and empathetic side.

In February 2019, Pascal made his Broadway debut in an adaptation of King Lear with Glenda Jackson and Ruth Wilson, where he took on the role of Edmund, the cunning and ambitious illegitimate son of the Earl of Gloucester. Since 2019, Pascal has portrayed the title role in The Mandalorian, the first live-action Star Wars television series, which debuted on Disney+, the show follows the adventures of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy. The role brought Pascal much wider recognition, and would later help establish him for his portrayals of father figures. The same year, he starred as Francisco "Catfish" Morales in the Netflix heist drama Triple Frontier, in which he portrays a helicopter pilot.

He portrayed Maxwell Lord in the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins. Following delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was released to theaters and HBO Max in December 2020. The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw called Pascal's character "a version of Norman Vincent Peale, the positive-thinking guru who was such an influence on presidents Nixon and Trump". The New York Times and the BBC both thought that Pascal was miscast for the role. In the film We Can Be Heroes, he played Marcus Moreno. Screen Rant commented on the paternal aspect of the character, "It certainly should be the case that Pascal's fatherly role in a children's movie portrays him as a truly loving and caring father, and that's exactly what [the character] does".

In early 2021, a video from a 2020 virtual play reading of I, My Ruination surfaced on multiple social media platforms of Pascal laughing hysterically then transitioning smoothly into crying. The video quickly became an internet meme, often being paired with the Beach House song "Space Song" to display themes of tragedy on social media.

In 2022, Pascal co-starred with Nicolas Cage in the action comedy film The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. His performance was widely praised by critics. A scene in which Pascal's character looks at a gruff and irritated Cage with a grin on his face while driving under the influence of LSD would spawn another internet meme on TikTok. It is commonly used humorously when two parties are in stark disagreement or conflict with each other over a topic in an exaggeratedly emotional fashion, and is paired with the 1969 Mama Cass song "Make Your Own Kind of Music". Pascal also appeared in The Bubble, Judd Apatow's satirical comedy exploring celebrity culture amidst the pandemic. Reviewing the film for The A.V. Club, Luke Y. Thompson called Pascal's character Dieter Bravo a "womanizer", and noted that the character's "fake 'ethnic' accent skewers what he likely has to endure regularly". Shot during the COVID-19 pandemic, the film portrays the protocols adopted during filming due to the event as "purposely a little off-center". He starred in Miu Miu's Women's Tales series short film, directed by Janicza Bravo, titled House Comes With a Bird. In November, he signed with Creative Artists Agency. "(The daddy thing) seems a little role-related, I think. There was a period where the Mandalorian is very daddy to baby Grogu. Joel is very daddy to Ellie. These are daddy parts. That's what it is." In 2023, Pascal starred in the HBO's highly anticipated television adaptation, The Last of Us, based on the critically acclaimed video game under the same title, created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. He took on the role of Joel Miller, a hardened survivor in a post-apocalyptic world, tasked with protecting a young girl named Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey. Pascal reportedly received $600,000 per episode. Empire's John Nugent and /Film's Valerie Ettenhofer praised Pascal's performance as the best of his career, citing his ability to portray nuance and rare vulnerability. The characterization of the paternal dynamic in the role and the similarity of his character in The Mandalorian earned Pascal international recognition for portraying adoptive father figures. This massive surge in popularity led him to become dubbed "daddy" in internet culture. Around this time, Pascal became a prominent figure in meme culture, with several memes of him achieving viral status, including a meme from a clip of Pascal eating a sandwich during a guest episode of LADbible's "Snack Wars" YouTube series in which he appeared with The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau. Several popular memes of Pascal were derived from The Last of Us episode "Kin", such as one from a scene where Joel is portrayed as having a panic attack,[87][88] and others relating to his character's tendency to lean on furniture throughout the episode due to being in a constant state of fear.

In February 4, 2023, he hosted a Saturday Night Live episode for the first time, with Coldplay as the musical guest. In April, he was added to the cast of Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls. In May, he co-starred in the short film Strange Way of Life alongside Ethan Hawke, directed by Pedro Almodóvar. He plays Silva, who reunites with Hawke's Jake in the two's older age. Pascal previously expressed his admiration for and desire to work with Almodóvar. Screen Rant noted it as another example of Pascal taking a role with the "dad" archetype. In June, Pascal was named by Carnegie Corporation of New York as an honoree of the Great Immigrants Award.[95] In July, Pascal made history as the first Latino to receive three nominations in the same year for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. The nominations included Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal in The Last of Us, Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for his guest-hosting role in an episode of Saturday Night Live, and Outstanding Narrator for his narration in Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World.

In January 2024, he starred in Freaky Tales, directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.[98] In June, musician Omar Apollo released his second studio album, God Said No, where Pascal features on the penultimate track, "Pedro", where he contributes a monologue about his heart being "shattered by something".[99] In the animated feature The Wild Robot, he portrayed Fink, a fox who plays a parental role to a goose named Brightbill alongside Lupita Nyong'o's robot Roz.[100] He next starred in Gladiator II, the sequel to Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000).[101][102]

Pascal will next star in Celine Song's Materialists,[103] and portray Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025), a role he will reprise in Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and Avengers: Secret Wars (2027).[104]

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