Just three months ago, certified Hollywood heartthrob Pedro Pascal turned 50 years old — his 2025 has been so abuzz with hits, most have probably forgotten that he was in “Gladiator II” and “The Wild Robot” not even a year ago. After years of largely working under the radar, he told AP that he can hardly believe his luck.
“It is the best time of my life,” he said. “Just, I don’t know… look around, and it’s an incredible reflection of… what I’m experiencing right now. I’m having a really amazing time.”
Following the success of the romantic drama “Materialists” last month, “The Last of Us” star is front and center as Mr. Fantastic in “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” out in theaters July 25. He said that he does not take the responsibility of leading a brand-new Marvel Studios feature lightly, emphasizing that he knows that the massive, hardcore fan base is watching.
“I think that sometimes the outside will find you, no matter how much you try to protect yourself from it,” Pascal said. “It just comes with the territory. I think maybe my nerves were bigger than they usually are, and so I think I just was a little bit more sensitive to the love that people have for stories like this, because I know that they wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the love that people have for these characters.”
“The Mandalorian” actor certainly is no stranger to acting in beloved franchises — from a preeminent intergalactic series to an epic video game adaptation — and he recognized the responsibility of crafting a piece of entertainment that would satisfy audiences.
“I think that it’s just very important for me that expectations be fulfilled… but I also know that the only way to do that is to give it all my focus and all my heart and my body and my soul and… that was the best I could do,” Pascal shared.
Beyond entering the MCU, Pascal will also hit theaters on Friday, July 18 in Ari Aster’s latest “Eddington,” where he plays a small town mayor squaring off against Joaquin Phoenix on opposite sides of the COVID debate circa 2020. That would be the second of three theatrical releases he has in just six weeks.
Watch the trailer for “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” below.