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5[[caption-width-right:300:''[[Series/TheMandalorian "I like those odds."]]'']]
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8->''“Being Latino and being an actor has been a unique struggle and opportunity. There is a stereotype of Latino representation in television and in film that can be contradicted by the actual world of Latinos. When you don’t fit into what maybe a more stereotypical vision of what somebody whose name is 'Pedro' is, it can be a little bit harder to navigate, but I think that it's changing.”''
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10José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal (born April 2, 1975 in Santiago, UsefulNotes/{{Chile}}), known professionally as Pedro Pascal, is an award-winning Chilean-American actor and director, best known for playing [[AntiHero anti-heroes]] and evildoers.
11
12He emigrated to America as a baby, when his parents' acts of opposition against UsefulNotes/AugustoPinochet forced the family to flee Chile. Pascal studied acting at the Orange County School of the Arts, and the Tisch School of the Arts in New York. After he graduated, he joined the Screen Actors Guild and Creator/ActorsEquity.
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14For years, Pascal specialized in one-off roles and secondary characters. With help from his friend Creator/SarahPaulson, he eventually joined the cast of ''Series/GameOfThrones'', portraying passionate and vengeful prince Oberyn Martell in the show's fourth season. He earned international fame for his performance, enabling him to finally land higher-profile gigs. Before Creator/{{HBO}} aired Oberyn's final appearance, he agreed to co-star on ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' as DEA Agent Javier Peña. While most of the stars didn't stay beyond the first StoryArc, he stayed through the third season, elevating from third to top billing in the process.
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16Pascal's popularity continued to grow during his streak of playing morally gray father figures in TV shows and movies, including the SpaceWestern ''Film/{{Prospect}}''. As it garnered acclaim in the indie movie circuit, he claimed a role in the ''Franchise/StarWars'' franchise as paternal refugee-turned-Mandalorian bounty hunter Din Djarin. Consequently, the first live-action ''Star Wars'' TV show, ''Series/TheMandalorian'', would also become the first program to give Pascal, [[PromotedFanboy a long-time fan]] of ''Star Wars'', top billing from the start. His renown for sympathetically portraying various flawed fathers led to Creator/{{HBO}} casting him as Joel Miller in [[Series/TheLastOfUs2023 the TV series adaptation]] of ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs''. This would earn him more major award recognition than any of his previous TV performances, including a Primetime MediaNotes/EmmyAward nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama series[[note]]In 2023, Pascal became the first Latino actor to earn [[RuleOfThree three]] Primetime Emmy nominations in the same year, with Outstanding Narration for ''Patagonia: Life on the Edge of the World'' and Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' [[Recap/SaturdayNightLiveS48E12 Season 48, episode 12]] comprising the other two.[[/note]] and a SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series.
17----
18!!Roles:
19
20* ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' (1999) as Eddie
21* ''Series/{{Undressed}}'' (1999) as Greg
22* ''Series/NYPDBlue'' (2001) as Shane "Dio" Morrissey
23* ''Franchise/LawAndOrder'':
24** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' (2006) as Kevin Green
25** ''Series/LawAndOrder'' (2008) as Tito Cabassa
26** ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' (2009) as Reggie Luckman
27** ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' (2011) as Special Agent Greer
28* ''Series/TheGoodWife'' (2009 -- 2011) as Nathan Landry
29* ''Film/BurnNoticeTheFallOfSamAxe'' (2011) as Veracruz
30* ''Lights Out'' (2011 series) as Omar Assarian
31* ''Series/BrothersAndSisters'' (2011) as Zach Wellison
32* ''Series/{{Wonder Woman|2011 Pilot}}'' (2011 pilot) as Ed Indelicato
33* ''Red Widow'' (2013) as Jay Castillo
34* ''Series/{{Graceland}}'' (2013) as Juan Badillo
35* ''Series/TheMentalist'' (2014) as Marcus Pike
36* ''Series/GameOfThrones'' (2014) as Oberyn Martell
37* ''Series/{{Narcos}}'' (2015 -- 2017) as Javier Peña
38* ''Film/TheGreatWall'' (2016) as Pero Tovar
39* ''Film/KingsmanTheGoldenCircle'' (2017) as Jack Daniels / Agent Whiskey
40* ''Film/{{Prospect}}'' (2018) as Ezra
41* ''Film/TheEqualizer2'' (2018) as Dave York
42* ''Film/IfBealeStreetCouldTalk'' (2018) as Pietro Alvarez
43* ''Film/TripleFrontier'' (2019) as Francisco "Catfish" Morales
44* ''Franchise/StarWars'' as [[Characters/StarWarsTheMandalorianCharacterSheet Din Djarin / The Mandalorian]]
45** ''Series/TheMandalorian'' (2019 -- present)
46** ''Series/TheBookOfBobaFett'' (2022)
47* ''[[Recap/CommunityS5E04CooperativePolygraphy Community Table Read]]'' (2020) as Mr. Stone
48* ''Series/HomeMovieThePrincessBride'' (2020) as Inigo Montoya
49* ''Film/WonderWoman1984'' (2020) as Maxwell Lorezano / Maxwell Lord
50* ''Film/{{We Can Be Heroes|2020}}'' (2020) as Marcus Moreno
51* ''Film/TheUnbearableWeightOfMassiveTalent'' (2022) as Javi Gutierrez
52* ''Film/{{The Bubble|2022}}'' (2022) as Dieter Bravo
53* ''Series/{{The Last of Us|2023}}'' (2023 -- present) as Joel Miller
54* ''Film/DriveAwayDolls'' (2024) as Santos
55* ''WesternAnimation/{{The Wild Robot|2024}}'' (2024) as Fink (voice)
56* The Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse as Mr. Fantastic / Reed Richards
57** ''The Fantastic Four'' (2025)
58
59!!Pedro Pascal's work provides examples of these tropes:
60
61* AntiHero: Many of the people he portrays commit immoral acts for noble purposes. Pascal [[DiscussedTrope discussed this trope]] with another ''Game of Thrones'' cast member, Creator/LenaHeadey, when she [[https://pedropascalunofficial.tumblr.com/post/645284725767946240/pedro-pascal-and-lena-headey interviewed]] him for ''Hunger TV''.
62-->... the anti-heroes are central to these television shows, and people are really getting behind them, even though they're not necessarily the most moral characters. So I'd say that I've become more familiar with the character who's obviously very flawed but gets you on their side -- you have complicated feelings about them.
63* TheCastShowoff:
64** He competed in Texas swimming championships as a child, until he quit the swim team to focus on his drama classes. He continues to swim as a hobby, and in some aquatic scenes in his productions.
65** While studying anthropology in Madrid, he worked as a go-go dancer in a nightclub (but didn't undress onstage). He still dances ocassionally, such as in [[https://youtu.be/u1E9jsbCDTI this]] Happy Socks DadaAd.
66* CelebrityEndorsement:
67** He [[https://youtu.be/Kb3ylQVgYUA?si=Ua56T8SplsOxBTNb promoted]] Solo Loewe fragrances in 2017.
68** Chilean winery Casillero del Diablo declared him their "ambassador" in 2021, casting him as an ambiguously-demonic GentlemanThief in [[https://youtu.be/PjyvJL_oGTM?si=rrgTugtWtYecl6EZ some]] [[https://youtu.be/61r72jgFy8s?si=Mn5OUkWPmm6shgey commercials]].
69** He appeared in an [[https://youtu.be/_w1wvtJaQn4 advert]] for the ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' ExpansionPack ''Dragonflight''.
70* CelebrityResemblance: When he and his friend Creator/OscarIsaac did a ''WIRED'' Autocomplete Interview to promote ''Triple Frontier'' -- the first movie to co-star both actors -- Pascal responded to the phrase "[[https://youtu.be/stLw-2Ob8xQ?t=218 pedro pascal look alike]]" by comparing himself to Creator/NathanFillion, Creator/JeremyRenner, and Creator/QuentinTarantino.
71* TheCharmer: Several of his roles earn others' trust, respect, and/or love with charismatic ease.
72* ChewingTheScenery: He tends to exaggerate his facial expressions, [[MilkingTheGiantCow make broad hand motions]], and speak passionately or powerfully. If he starts SuddenlyShouting as well, he crosses the threshold into LargeHam territory.
73* ChronicallyKilledActor: He usually dies in his TV roles such as ''Game of Thrones'' and the ''Law & Order'' franchise. He's not even safe in some of his movie roles such as ''Kingsman: The Golden Circle'' and ''The Equalizer 2''.
74-->'''[[https://youtu.be/stLw-2Ob8xQ?t=62 Oscar Isaac]]:''' He's made a career by dying spectacularly.
75* TheComicallySerious: Perhaps his greatest strength as a comedic actor is his ability to deliver utterly ridiculous dialogue with the same dark intensity he brings to his dramatic roles.
76* CreatorsFavorite: Pascal has [[https://youtu.be/nW9GhSr2DTI?t=83 expressed]] an especially strong fondness for Oberyn Martell, even years after Oberyn's final appearance.
77* DarkAndTroubledPast: Multiple productions cast him as someone with a traumatically tragic backstory and/or an unsavory history.
78* {{Determinator}}: Several of his characters will take any means necessary to achieve their goals.
79* DuelingWorks:
80** ''Wonder Woman 1984'' and ''We Can Be Heroes'', two superhero movies co-starring him as a single father, reached two different streaming platforms (Creator/HBOMax for the former and Netflix for the latter) on Christmas 2020.
81** HBO's ''The Last of Us'' episodes #7-9 and Creator/DisneyPlus's ''The Mandalorian'' Chapters 17-19, installments of science-fiction shows both described by ''Creator/TheChaser'' as "[[https://web.archive.org/web/20231210071138/https://chaser.com.au/other/scientists-predict-that-by-2050-every-popular-show-may-involve-pedro-pascal-escorting-magic-child-to-safety/ Pedro Pascal escorting magic child to safety]]," all aired during a three-week span from February 26, 2023 to March 15, 2023.
82* FriendshipOnTheSet: He manages to form positive relationships with other cast and crew members of his projects, including the aforementioned Oscar Isaac (who met Pascal when both performed in the 2006 Off-Broadway show, ''Beauty of the Father'').
83* HiddenDepths: Even though his best-known performances come from TV prestige dramas, ''The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'' and ''Saturday Night Live'' earned him praise as a comedic performer as well. He claimed in a ''Digital Spy'' [[https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a39723936/pedro-pascal-interview-unbearable-weight-of-massive-talent/ interview]] that he has more in common with EndearinglyDorky cinephile Javi Gutierrez than with the likes of Javier Peña.
84* IHaveManyNames: Has professional acting credits under the names "Pedro Balmaceda", "Alexander Pascal", and finally "Pedro Pascal". Before he became a professional actor, he used an anglicized EmbarrassingNickname in high school: "[[https://bring-me-in-warm.tumblr.com/post/190683259733/a-baby Peter Balmaceda]]".
85* ItRunsInTheFamily: Pascal and his siblings inherited a love of movies from their cinephile father, resulting in three of them entering show business. Pascal's older sister, Javiera Balmaceda, became director of programming for HBO Latin America shortly before ''Game of Thrones'' Season 4 premiered, and has since moved on to Creator/AmazonStudios' director of local originals for Latin America, Canada, and Australia. Their younger sister, Lux Pascal, has also taken up acting; she appeared in ''Narcos'' Season 3 as Elias.
86* ManOfAThousandVoices: Sometimes he acts with a fake accent, such as when he played DashingHispanic-[[FantasyCounterpartCulture like]] Oberyn Martell[[note]]A facsimile of Pascal's father's accent[[/note]] or when he adopted a SouthernGentleman persona for Agent Whiskey[[note]]an exaggeration of the effects that growing up in San Antonio had on Pascal's voice[[/note]]. For ''The Mandalorian'' and the ''Community'' table read, he proved that he could also put on a guttural growl[[note]]sometimes enhanced by screaming into a pillow before speaking[[/note]]. To quote a ''Flaunt'' [[https://flaunt.com/post/pedro-pascal-the-cocoon-issue interview]] with him:
87-->I don't even know what my fucking natural accent is. I spent 20 years in New York, and if I'm back there I start to sound like everyone around me in Brooklyn.
88* ManlyFacialHair: His "rakish mustache", as ''GQ'' [[https://www.gq.com/gallery/pedro-pascals-rakish-mustache-breaks-all-the-rules-for-sexy-facial-hair described it]], provides a defining feature of almost all of his performances, and eventually his real-life appearances as well. In the Autocomplete Interview, he [[https://youtu.be/stLw-2Ob8xQ?t=252 claimed]] to have received the following advice after consecutively agreeing to do ''Theatre/MuchAdoAboutNothing'' and ''Narcos'' with a mustache:
89-->"Don't ever get rid of your mustache. You look like my grandmother without it."
90* MemeAcknowledgment: In addition to the countless instances of him discussing memes in interviews or social media, he recreated the "[[CryLaughing Pedro Pascal Laughing Then Crying]]" [[https://www.knowyourmeme.com/memes/pedro-pascal-laughing-then-crying memes]] during the 2023 Golden Globe Awards, in [[https://mashable.com/article/pedro-pascal-kieran-culkin-golden-globes-speech response]] to Best Actor – Television Series Drama winner Creator/KieranCulkin playfully boasting, "Suck it, Pedro!"
91* MethodActing: While unwilling to become a full-time method actor, he engages in this especially during ADR sessions, recreating his character's motions in the recording booth. Some shows also provide instances of him performing either method acting or EnforcedMethodActing on the set.
92* MrFanservice: He [[ShirtlessScene goes topless]] in several of his roles, particularly if he plays someone who ReallyGetsAround. Sometimes, he even performs on stage [[MaleFrontalNudity completely nude]].
93* NomDeMom: He took on his mother's surname as his professional last name, to honor her after her death, and also because "Pedro Balmaceda" proved too difficult for non-Latinos to pronounce.
94* OneTakeWonder: ''Prospect'' co-director Zeek Earl has [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Filmmakers/comments/jms2ud/comment/gaxrhz4 referred]] to Pascal as an actor who insists on nailing scenes in one try, and usually succeeds.
95* PapaWolf: Every science fiction drama he's headlined since ''Prospect'' (the first movie to give him top billing on the poster) has him take life-risking, occasionally unscrupulous measures to protect an orphan. Spoofed in [[https://youtu.be/UiIRlg4Xr5w this]] ''SNL'' sketch, in which Pascal lands the title role of an HBO ''VideoGame/MarioKart'' drama, and must anti-heroically protect a dethroned Princess Peach on a perilous trek to Rainbow Road.
96* PlaysGreatEthnics: His resume includes characters from Lithuania, Morocco, Mexico, or Caucasian lineage, among other non-Chilean backgrounds.
97* PromotedFanboy: Often crossing over with AwesomeDearBoy, many of the parts he accepts or pursues tie in with an IP that interests him -- such as the aforementioned ''Game of Thrones'' and ''Star Wars'' -- and/or boast at least one creative he admires. For ''The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent'', he took on the role of Creator/NicolasCage's AscendedFanboy as a testament to Cage's influence on his acting.
98* PuppyDogEyes: In [[https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a43518988/pedro-pascal-the-last-of-us-interview-2023/ this]] ''Esquire'' article, ''The Last of Us'' co-developer Creator/CraigMazin cited "this expressive pain behind [Pascal's] eyes" as one of the actor's most endearing traits, as demonstrated in the episode "Kin."
99* SelfDeprecation: The self-proclaimed dork tends to mock himself in social media and interviews.
100* SinisterSchnoz: He's [[https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-ca-st-sunday-conversation-pedro-pascal-20170922-htmlstory.html attributed]] his tendency to land parts with immoral qualities to casting people who think his aquiline nose would help provide a devious appearance.
101-->I'm not dangerous, but I have a sharp nose. I will probably be playing bad guys forever because of my face.
102* StageNames: He spent a year as "[[Film/FannyAndAlexander Alexander]] Pascal" after too many casting directors called him paler than "Pedro".
103* StarMakingRole: Oberyn Martell widely exposed Pascal's talents to the public, helping him go from a working actor to a world-famous star almost overnight.
104* StarvingArtist: He recalled his days as an impoverished New York theater actor in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZwrSzP6UaU this video]], one of several that Actors' Equity put out in a campaign to raise Off-Broadway performers' wages. He tried waiting tables for his day gig for a time and got fired from over twenty restaurants in New York City, which you have to admit is pretty impressive.
105* SweetAndSourGrapes: Discussed in interviews tracing his rise to fame; Pascal admitted that when he reached his 30s, he decided to accept that he would never land his big break, and should settle for [[MoneyDearBoy whatever gigs would help pay the rent]]... and then he landed his dream part for ''Game of Thrones''.
106* ThrowItIn: Has a knack for improv, such as when he ad-libbed this zinger in ''Narcos'':
107-->'''Steve Murphy:''' Ever been duck huntin'?\
108'''Javier Peña:''' No, I have not been duck hunting, you... fucking hillbilly.
109* WhatCouldHaveBeen
110** Prior to ''The Last of Us'' and ''Game of Thrones'', Pascal tried to get his foot in HBO's door by auditioning for ''Series/SexAndTheCity'' ([[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.economiaynegocios.cl/noticias/noticias.asp%3Fid%3D533744&prev=search&pto=aue according]] to Javiera Balmaceda) and ''Series/{{Looking}}'' ([[https://www.indiewire.com/news/general-news/pedro-pascal-almost-cast-looking-1234948703/ according]] to Carmen Cuba, casting director on both ''Looking'' and ''Narcos'').
111** Before Pascal auditioned for ''[=GoT=]'', he played Agent Ortega in a LiveActionAdaptation of ''ComicBook/TheSixthGun'', which didn't make it past the pilot. He did share [[https://www.instagram.com/p/ZGeDQ3Hw5_/?igshid=7cnf4go1ol8h a picture]] of himself as Ortega, and later reunited with some of the other cast members on other projects.
112** Before HBO began airing Pascal's ''[=GoT=]'' episodes, Creator/PattyJenkins directed him in the pilot for the Creator/{{ABC}} drama ''Exposed'', starring Creator/MaryElizabethWinstead as an IntrepidReporter. This didn't get picked up, either, but fansites dedicated to either Winstead or Pascal posted [[https://maryewinstead.net/gallery/displayimage.php?album=834&pid=34472#top_display_media screencaps]] and a bootleg video. Pascal already loved Jenkins' ''Film/{{Monster}}'', and his performance and on-set presence for ''Exposed'' impressed her so much, that she eventually offered him the role of Max Lord in ''Wonder Woman 1984'' -- without requiring him to audition.
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