Pedro Pascal’s good looks, easy charm and impressive range as an actor have made him one of Hollywood’s hottest figures of the last decade.
With The Last of Us season 2 out now on HBO and Max and The Fantastic Four: First Steps set to premiere in July 2025, his fame is about to reach superheroic proportions. If you’re a Pascal fan, you’ll definitely want to watch (or rewatch) these five examples of his best work.
‘Game of Thrones’ Season 4 (2014)
Pascal came to a lot of people’s attention during his seven-episode arc as Oberyn Martell, a prince from the southern kingdom of Dorne. Oberyn is proud and cocky, but he is also honorable and kind. His scenes with Peter Dinklage’s Tyrion Lannister and Lena Headey’s Cersei feature some of the best acting in the show’s history.
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The ending of his arc in “The Mountain and the Viper” is one of the most shocking and tragic moments in the series, and it’s almost Shakespearean in its dramatic irony. Thrones isn’t a show you can jump into mid-series without context, so you’ll have to get through three seasons before the introduction of Pascal’s character, but his performance is worth the wait.
Watch Game of Thrones on Max.
‘The Mandalorian’ (2019-2023)
You don’t actually see much of Pascal in The Mandalorian — at least not his face. In this Star Wars spinoff, he plays a member of a religious sect of warriors from the planet Mandalore. One of the key traits of this sect, called the Death Watch, is that they never remove their helmets in the company of others. But the actor’s performance is all the more impressive in his ability to convey complex emotions without the use of his face.
A formidable bounty hunter, The Mandalorian (his full name isn’t revealed until later in the series) is charged with smuggling a surprising package — a child named Grogu of the same species as Yoda — but rebels and vows to protect him instead. The Mandalorian is an action-packed show that successfully expands on the Star Wars universe and incorporates other content like the Clone Wars and Rebels series.
The Disney+ series has been such a hit that a movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu, is set to be released in 2026. That means you have a year to watch the series before the movie comes out!
Watch The Mandalorian on Disney+.
‘The Last of Us’ (2023-Present)
A new season of this acclaimed HBO drama series premiered on April 13, much to the delight of fans who’ve been desperately waiting for more. The Last of Us is based on a popular video game of the same name. It takes place in a world beset by zombie-like creatures that have been “infected” with cordyceps, a parasitic fungus.
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Pascal plays Joel Miller, a stoic smuggler tasked with transporting Ellie (Bella Ramsey, another Game of Thrones alum) across the country. (Yes, it’s another series where Pascal becomes a reluctant father figure to a child he’s tasked with shepherding across a dangerous sci-fi landscape.)
Like most good horror and sci-fi, The Last of Us uses monsters to reveal the most terrifying aspects of human nature. But there are moments of hope, beauty and inspiration as well. One episode featuring guest stars Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus) and Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) is a particular standout, but you can’t go wrong with any of them.
Watch The Last of Us on Max.
‘Narcos’ (2015-2017)
Based on the true story of the U.S. government’s quest to take down Pablo Escobar, Narcos is a wild ride, full of intense action and drama. Pascal plays DEA Agent Javier Peña, a charismatic and charming agent who works alongside Agent Stephen Murphy (Boyd Holbrook). Their partnership is the heart of the first two seasons of the Netflix series.
In season 3, Peña becomes the lead character and narrator, grounding the show with his magnetism and grit. Peña, who could easily have become a stock lawman character, is played by Pascal with depth and grounded emotion.
The ethical complexities of tracking down criminals are on full display throughout Agent Peña’s storyline, as he often needs to bend rules or cooperate with criminals to reach his goal of taking down Escobar. The story is so full of shocking, almost unbelievable twists, you’ll forget it’s based on real events.
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Watch Narcos on Netflix.
‘The Wild Robot’ (2024)
In this animated feature film, a helper robot named Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) becomes lost in the forest, where she becomes responsible for orphaned gosling Brightbill (Kit Connor). Pascal lends his voice to a wily fox called Fink, who aligns himself with Roz when he realizes she can help him build shelters, find food, and avoid predators. Along the way, he (surprise, surprise) becomes a reluctant mentor to the young gosling and the out-of-place robot.
The animation in this film is spectacular, with memorable use of nature imagery and painterly backgrounds that will take your breath away. The action and the comedy will entertain kids, while the themes of motherhood and self-sacrifice will bring a tear to any parent’s eye.
Watch The Wild Robot on Peacock.
