The internet’s ‘daddy’ Pedro Pascal returns to screens in The Last of Us season two. (Getty)
The Last of Us season two star Pedro Pascal turned 50 earlier this month with a glittering London birthday bash that saw him sport a pro-trans t-shirt and an appearance from legendary trans DJ Honey Dijon.
A decade after his breakout role as Oberyn Martell in season four of Game of Thrones, Pascal continues to reign as the internet’s most beloved ‘daddy’, and the return of dark apocalyptic drama The Last of Us on HBO on Sunday (13 April) is likely to renew Pedro pandemonium.
Here are 13 facts you didn’t know about The Last of Us star as season two arrives on screens…
He used to work as a club dancer
Prior to breaking into acting Pascal worked as a go-go dancer at a nightclub in Madrid. According to reports, he sported silver hair, eyeliner and wore platform sneakers.
He was born in Santiago, Chile, as José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal
The actor, known for his roles in Narcos, The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, was born on 2 April, 1975, in Santiago, Chile. His full name is José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal.
He fled Chile with his parents as a baby after they become political refugees
Pascal has openly shared his immigrant story in the past. In a previous interview he described his parents as “young, liberal college students”. Being a Chilean centrist during the reign of Augusto Pinochet was dangerous. His parents were left to make a choice and decided to flee Chile, moving to the US.
“They were so brave, and without them I wouldn’t be here in this wonderful country. And I certainly wouldn’t be standing here with you all tonight,” he recalled.
His sister is trans and he is a big advocate for LGBTQ+ rights
Pascal’s sister, Lux, is trans, which could explain his staunch support for the trans community. He previously described his sister as “one of the most powerful people” he’s ever known.
He was voted Grindr’s Hottest Man of the Year in 2024
Last year, Pedro Pascal topped Jonathan Bailey in coming first place in Grindr’s “Hottest Man of the Year”.
In fifth place for “Hottest Man of the Year” was The Bear star Jeremy Allen White, who is just below Travis Kelce in fourth and Bad Bunny in third.
His first crush was Olivia Newton-John in the video for “Physical”
I mean, who didn’t fancy Newton-John in the video for “Physical”? The song was recorded by the British-Australian singer for her 1981 studio album of the same name.
He used to be an award-winning competitive swimmer
Pascal’s swimming career came to an end after he started taking drama classes.
His coffee order is six shots of espresso on ice
He likes them strong!
He has 34 cousins
That’s a lot of family support.
One of his first on-screen roles was in Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pascal played Eddie, or Edward, a college classmate of Buffy’s who becomes a vampire in season four, “The Freshman”.
He was fired 10 times from waiting jobs when he was younger
In a video for Vanity Fair, Pascal estimated that he was fired from serving jobs “maybe close to 10 times”. He worked as a waiter while trying to secure work as an actor in New York in the early 2000s.
He often looks at fan accounts of himself
Pascal has admitted to looking at fan accounts of himself when he’s down. In a 2022 lie detector test with Vanity Fair, the actor was asked: “Do you ever look at Instagram accounts devoted to you being a heartthrob when you’re feeling down?”
He responded, ”Yes, I do,” before bursting into laughter, adding that his favourite account is a “Pedro Pascal Fan Account”.
He’s an Aries
According to queer astrologist Deborah Roe, who spoke exclusively to PinkNews all about astrology, “Aries is the sign with the most energy. Her studies have found that there is a 49 per cent chance of an Aries being queer”.
“If you are an Aries, you’re most likely to take quick action and fight ferociously for other members of the LGBTQ+ community,” Roe shared.
How did this story make you feel?
