"It was simply the circumstance" — When Pedro Pascal made his feelings clear about playing "tough, conflicted outsiders"

European Premiere of Marvel Studios Thunderbolts At Cineworld Leicester Square - Source: Getty
A still of Pedro Pascal (Image via Getty)

Pedro Pascal has simply been one of the most phenomenal actors of recent years. With a wide-ranging body of work, the actor has delivered many memorable performances since his breakout role in Game of Thrones as the menacing Oberyn Martell. His recent works include some television giants like The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, among others.

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When one looks at this impressive body of work, it becomes quite clear that these roles are related in some shape or form. The primary thing that stands out in these acclaimed performances is that Pedro Pascal always plays internally conflicted characters who are tough on the outside but extremely soft and driven at the core.

In a 2023 interview, Pedro Pascal deciphered this choice of characters, saying that it was simply the circumstances that led him to play these roles rather than a conscious choice about the kind of characters he wanted to play. When asked specifically about picking these characters with "tough, conflicted outsider status," Pascal said:

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"I find it funny when anyone applies choice to my experience. Of course you can say no to things, but you can’t say no to Jon Favreau, Kathleen Kennedy, Dave Filoni, or HBO. It never felt like stopping and considering what the characters were. It was simply the circumstance of a door opening and stepping through it."
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He added about working on The Last of Us:

"To be totally honest, it was wanting to work with Craig Mazin, who did Chernobyl. Also, HBO is content that I literally grew up on. I experienced their original programming. Their original programming was very, very mature."

The Last of Us is currently releasing its second season, and so far, the response has been positive. This will once again go down as one of Pedro Pascal's finest performances, which will stay memorable among fans for quite some time to come.

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Pedro Pascal continues to amaze audiences with a string of exceptional roles

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Interestingly, despite being around for decades, Pedro Pascal could not land any prominent roles until his appearance in the fourth season of Game of Thrones. The actor broke out in this role and received significant acclaim. Soon, he was being offered more interesting roles.

One major step forward was when he landed the role of Javier Peña in the Netflix crime series Narcos. He followed it up with several big film appearances and has seemingly been everywhere over the past few years.

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However, his recent roles have taken Pedro Pascal in a different direction. He is now appearing in several big-budget productions, like Gladiator II last year and The Fantastic Four: First Steps this year.

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His inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will mean a great deal for the actor's fan base. Pascal is also set to become one of the MCU's biggest characters, as he will play Reed Richards in the upcoming movie. He is expected to reprise the role in Avengers: Doomsday, which is currently one of the most anticipated movies worldwide.

Apart from the Marvel movies. Pascal is also set to reprise his iconic role in The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is scheduled to be released in the United States on May 22, 2026.

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Edited by Sourav Chakraborty
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