Robert Downey Jr. has been celebrating the success of his Avengers: Doomsday co-star Pedro Pascal, saying his rise to prominence has “reaffirmed my faith in our industry.”
Pascal has had a slow-burning career. The Chilean-born actor started out with small roles in big shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, NYPD Blue, Law & Order, The Good Wife, and Homeland.
But then everything changed when he landed the part of Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. Major roles in small-screen smashes like Narcos, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us followed, as did movies like Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Wonder Woman 1984, and Gladiator II.
This summer, he’s Reed Richards in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which kicks off his participation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And in a new interview, Pascal reveals how one of his Avengers: Doomsday co-stars has been a great source of support.
Pedro Pascal calls Robert Downey Jr “immediately generous and inviting”
While speaking to Vanity Fair about hype around the forthcoming Fantastic Four movie, Pascal said: “I’m getting an inkling of excitement because it seems to reflect what our common goal was, and what we want to share, which is all of our f**king hearts on a platter within this genre. You just never know if people are going to be disgusted by your heart or not.”
Pascal is referencing his casting as Richards/Mister Fantastic, which had some comic book fans complaining. The star said: “I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done – ‘He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.'”
But former Iron Man and future Doctor Doom Robert Downey Jr. had his back, with Pascal revealing, “He’s just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent.”
When asked by the same publication about Pedro’s building success, Downey was hugely complimentary, saying: “Pascal’s slow trajectory to becoming a household name who is on a wildly hot streak kind of reaffirms my faith in our industry.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps hits screens on July 25, 2025. Unless Doctor Doom cameos there, Pedro Pascal and Robert Downey Jr. will share the screen in Avengers: Doomsday, which is expected to release on December 18, 2026.
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