Last month I posed the question: “Is Pedro Pascal in the too many movies?” It felt like a necessary thing to ask.
Pascal, who starred in five movies last year, is coming off an insane summer, kicking off with that viral moment in the second season of HBO’s “The Last of Us,” and continuing with roles in Celine Song’s “Materialists,” Ari Aster’s “Eddington,” and Marvel’s “Fantastic Four: First Steps.” You just can’t avoid him these days.
He’s already attached to three films slated for next year — possibly four if Todd Haynes’ De Noche makes it through post-production on schedule. I’m starting to feel completely burned out by Pascal. Every prestige TV show, every big-budget franchise, every buzzy indie seems to have his name stamped on it. The internet’s thirst machine has only amplified the saturation. Not many people seem willing to admit it. Or so I thought.
Turns out, there are plenty of Pascal skeptics out there — at least according to Pete Davidson on Theo Von’s “This Past Weekend” podcast. Davidson’s message to them? Back off. Because apparently what we all needed right now was Pete Davidson himself delivering a lecture on why Pedro Pascal deserves a break.
F—king two years ago he’s a hardworking, great actor. Everyone was like, ‘He’s worked so hard and has been a struggling actor.’ F—king blows up so f—king hard. Everyone’s like, ‘Daddy, daddy! Yeah, daddy, daddy.’ Then a year later, he’s in everything now because he’s hot and big and everyone’s like, ‘Go the f—k away, dude.
Davidson argued Pascal isn’t the only one in the crosshairs, predicting that social media will soon turn its sights on Walton Goggins, saying, “It’s going to happen within months.”
Davidson may see his own trajectory in Pascal’s rise. Once celebrated as a scrappy SNL standout, he quickly became overexposed, with fame turning public fascination into fatigue. In Pascal, Davidson likely recognizes the same cycle—adored one moment, resented the next.
What Davidson doesn’t seem to get is that a certain point, Pascal’s constant casting starts to feel less inspired, especially when there are plenty of other talented actors out there. It’s the same fatigue that comes when Hollywood falls too hard for an actor and just won’t let us breathe between roles, and right now, Pascal is everywhere, all at once.
“Hope,” Na’s first film in ten years — his last one being the exemplary “The Wailing” —is a gloriously messy, blood-soaked sci-fi epic that may become a cult classic despite—or because of—its polarizing nature.