1999–2013: Early work Early in his career, Pascal appeared in several television series, including
Buffy the Vampire Slayer,
NYPD Blue,
The Good Wife,
Nurse Jackie, and
Homeland. Pascal experienced hard times during that point in his career; besides working in small acting and theatre roles, he took jobs
waiting at restaurants. Pascal admitted that he was fired "often, upwards of, I don't know, maybe close to 10 times". In times of extreme hardship, Pascal's close friend
Sarah Paulson would give him her
per diem money "so that he could have money to feed himself." At a point when he found difficulty in affording medical care, only having less than seven dollars in his bank account, he received a residual check from his role in
Buffy, which helped him to restabilize his finances and allowed him to continue pursuing acting. Pascal is a member of New York City's
LAByrinth Theater Company. He received the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and
Garland Award for his role in the
International City Theater production of
Orphans, and has performed in classical and contemporary works. In 2005, Pascal made his feature film debut in
Julia Solomonoff's
Sisters. For Pascal's role, Solomonoff was looking for candidates with strong English-language skills. In addition to meeting this requirement, Pascal (then credited as Balmaceda) was found to be "someone with a very special face, very photogenic, with a kind of mystery" by Solomonoff. In 2010, he wrote a play, directed by
Sarah Silverman,
Flaca Loves Bone, about four siblings who meet in a snowy wood to uncover a family secret. Also in 2010, Pascal made his directorial debut with
Killing Play, written by David Anzuelo, at
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. He also directed
underneathmybed and
Yosemite there. He was cast in the
pilot for the
2011 Wonder Woman television adaptation as
Ed Indelicato, Wonder Woman's liaison to the
LAPD, but the show was not picked up.
2014–2018: Breakthrough and rise to fame In 2014, Pascal portrayed the character
Oberyn Martell in the
fourth season of
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,
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". 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 2015, Pascal portrayed the
vampire Max in
Bloodsucking Bastards. In April, Pascal co-starred with
Heidi Klum in the music video for
Sia's "
Fire Meet Gasoline". In August, 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
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, against
Denzel Washington in the 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.
CNETs 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
If Beale Street Could Talk, directed by
Barry Jenkins and based on
James Baldwin's
1974 novel, Pascal made a cameo appearance as Pietro Alvarez, a frivolous yet crucial character who ultimately reveals a compassionate and empathetic side.
2019–present: Worldwide recognition 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. in which he portrays a
helicopter pilot. In 2020, 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 Guardians
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. In 2023, Pascal starred in
HBO's highly anticipated television adaptation,
The Last of Us, based on the critically acclaimed
2013 video game, 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.
Empires John Nugent and
/Films Valerie Ettenhofer praised Pascal's performance as the best of his career, citing his ability to portray nuance and rare vulnerability. Druckmann called Ramsey and Pascal's chemistry "a joy." 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, and others relating to his character's tendency to lean on furniture throughout the episode due to being in a constant state of
fear. at
SXSW 2025 In February 2023, he hosted a
Saturday Night Live episode, with
Coldplay as the musical guest. In April, he was added to the cast of
Ethan Coen's 2024 film
Drive-Away Dolls, and
Time magazine named him one of the
100 most influential people in the world. In May, he co-starred in the short film
Strange Way of Life alongside
Ethan Hawke, directed by
Pedro Almodóvar. He played 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 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. 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". 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. He next starred in
Gladiator II, the sequel to
Ridley Scott's 2000 film
Gladiator. At the end of 2024, he was polled as
Grindr's hottest man of the year. Around this time, Pascal was forced to drop-out of several high profile films including
Weapons and
Crime 101, due to his packed schedule. In 2025, Pascal appeared in
Celine Song's romantic comedy
Materialists,
Ari Aster's neo-Western thriller
Eddington, and portrayed
Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film
The Fantastic Four: First Steps. He is slated to reprise the role in the MCU films
Avengers: Doomsday (2026) and
Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). He will reprise the role of Din Djarin in
The Mandalorian & Grogu (2026). Pascal's upcoming projects include starring in
Todd Haynes's film
De Noche, his casting in late 2025 was considered important in reviving the production after it had been stalled. He took on the lead role of Alex Serian in the thriller film
Behemoth!, written and directed by
Tony Gilroy. He rescued both projects from being abandoned after their initial stars backed out. ==Personal life==