Cover Pedro Pascal’s most iconic roles (Photo: stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
Pedro Pascal’s most iconic roles (Photo: stylised by Angela Nicole Guiral)
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From ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘The Last of Us’, Pascal has become the face of survival, grief, and grit—sometimes under a helmet. His rise was slow, but worth it. The roles he chooses say why
Pedro Pascal spent years on the sidelines. Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NYPD Blue, Nurse Jackie—he played cops, victims, drifters. He waited tables between auditions, got fired often, and once had less than seven dollars in his bank account. Then came Game of Thrones in 2014, where he died in unforgettable fashion as Oberyn Martell: eyes gouged, skull crushed, but legend cemented.
Next came Narcos, then The Mandalorian, then The Last of Us. In the space of a decade, Pascal went from guest star to a Hollywood anchor. He became the helmeted bounty hunter, the grieving survivor, the reluctant protector. Whether in Wonder Woman 1984, Strange Way of Life, or voicing a robot in 2024’s The Wild Robot, he often keeps circling one role: the man who stays, even when everything else falls apart.
Here are some of the performances that got him here—and the ones that might come next.
More from Tatler: 7 stylish moments of Pedro Pascal, the “internet’s boyfriend”
Oberyn Martell, ‘Game of Thrones’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘Game of Thrones’ (Photo: HBO)
Pedro Pascal in ‘Game of Thrones’ (Photo: HBO)
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He came late in the fourth season and left before it ended. In between, he stole the show. Oberyn Martell was princely, and doomed. His fight with Gregor Clegane remains one of the most gruesome—and unforgettable—deaths on television.
Javier Peña, ‘Narcos’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘Narcos’ (Photo: Netflix)
Pedro Pascal in ‘Narcos’ (Photo: Netflix)
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Pascal anchored the rise and fall of Pablo Escobar. As former Drug Enforcement Administration agent Javier Peña, he wore the weariness of endless war with conviction. It was the beginning of his transformation from scene-stealer to lead.
Din Djarin, ‘The Mandalorian’ series
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘The Mandalorian’ (Photo: Disney+)
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Mandalorian’ (Photo: Disney+)
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Few actors could carry a show from behind a helmet. Pascal did. His work as the bounty hunter Din Djarin—gruff, but gradually paternal—resurrected Star Wars for a new generation. His voice alone carried the weight.
Joel, ‘The Last of Us’ series
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ (Photo:HBO)
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Last of Us’ (Photo:HBO)
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Another damaged protector, another journey west. But Joel was not Mando. He was more broken, more brutal. Pascal’s performance gave the post-apocalypse an emotional core. In 2023, the show was HBO’s biggest debut since House of the Dragon, which was released the year before.
Maxwell Lord, ‘Wonder Woman 1984’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (Photo: Warner Bros)
Pedro Pascal in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ (Photo: Warner Bros)
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He played the villain like a salesman on the brink: greedy, desperate, and magnetic. Pascal turned a cartoonish character into a mirror for late capitalism—and possibly himself.
Javi Gutierrez, ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ (Photo: Lionsgate)
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent’ (Photo: Lionsgate)
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In a film where Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, Pascal plays the billionaire fan who loves him too much. It’s a buddy movie, a meta-comedy, a satire of stardom. Pascal makes it tender.
Marcus Moreno, ‘We Can Be Heroes’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘We Can Be Heroes’ (Photo: Netflix)
Pedro Pascal in ‘We Can Be Heroes’ (Photo: Netflix)
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A minor Netflix film to some, and even a minor role to others. But for many young viewers, it was their first Pascal. He played a superhero dad. The internet called him “dad” for months after.
Marcus Acacius, ‘Gladiator II’
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘Galdiator II’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
Pedro Pascal in ‘Galdiator II’ (Photo: Paramount Pictures)
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A sequel few asked for, but a casting choice many applauded. Pascal plays a general navigating power in imperial Rome—a role built for a man who makes authority look like a burden.
Related: ‘Gladiator II’: Come for the spectacle, stay for Denzel’s timeless screen presence
Reed Richards, ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (upcoming)
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (Photo: Disney)
Pedro Pascal in ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ (Photo: Disney)
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He joins the Marvel machine next. Pascal as the leader of the Fantastic Four feels inevitable—world-weary genius, reluctant optimist. If Marvel is looking for weight, they’ve found it.
Harry Castillo, ‘Materialists’ (upcoming)
Above Pedro Pascal in ‘Materialists’ (Photo: A24)
Pedro Pascal in ‘Materialists’ (Photo: A24)
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Directed by Celine Song (Past Lives), Materialists is a romantic drama about modern love and the quiet desperation of self-invention. Pascal, who plays the charismatic Harry Castillo, joins Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans in an ensemble cast. Less action, more fluff—and ache.
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Angela Nicole Regis Guiral is the assistant digital editor of Tatler Philippines. She studied journalism and has since written features that look closely at how culture, lifestyle and social impact converge, while occasionally wandering into the worlds of style and travel.
