Pedro Pascal's life – tragic loss, co-star romance rumours and 'internet daddy'

The latest installment of Star Wars series The Mandalorian has hit streaming service Disney+ today, with fans eagerly waiting to see what will happen next.

The beloved programme shot Hollywood hunk Pedro Pascal to fame – as well as the fictional character Grogu – and fans cannot get enough of them both.

Along with The Mandalorian, Pedro is delighting fans as he takes on the lead role of Joel in HBO’s The Last Of Us, opposite fellow Game Of Thrones star Bella Ramsay.

READ MORE: Star Wars fans hail new Andor series “perfection” as show launches on Disney+

To celebrate the return of The Mandalorian, Daily Star has taken a closer look inside Pedro Pascal’s life.

Tragic loss

When Pedro was a child, he and his parents fled Chile and sought asylum in San Antonio, Texas.

His mother Veronica was a child psychologist and his father Jose was a fertility doctor, with People Magazine reporting that Pedro’s parents worked for the opposition movement against the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet before he was born.

Pedro recalled a close bond with his parents, saying that growing up in Texas he had fond memories of spending time with them, including arguing over staying up late to watch TV.

He also took part in swimming competitions, before finding his calling as an actor and studying at the Orange County School of the Arts, as well as NYU.

However before Pedro hit the big time, the actor suffered a heartbreaking loss when his mum died suddenly.

As a tribute to her, Pedro changed his surname shortly after his mum’s death, from his dad’s name of Balmaceda to his mum’s surname Pascal.

Speaking to People about her influence on him, Pedro said: “She was always incredibly supportive, never a stage mom.

“I always felt like she knew something that I didn’t.”

He added: “None of [my success] would be real if it weren’t for her.”

Hollywood fame

Although Pedro is the star of two of the hottest TV shows on the planet at the moment – HBO’s Last Of Us and Disney+ series The Mandalorian – the Hollywood hunk has been on our screens for nearly three decades.

He appeared as Eddie in Buffy The Vampire Slayer in 1999, after landing roles in Downtown and Undressed.

Pedro has not left our screens since, appearing in TV series such as Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife, Charlies Angels and Homeland.

However one of his most notable roles is as Oberyn Martell in the fourth series of Game Of Thrones, with Pedro reaching new heights of fame as he took on parts in Hollywood blockbusters Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Wonder Woman: 1984.

From there it has been onwards and upwards, with Pedro playing the titular role of The Mandalorian in the hit Star Wars series and Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last Of Us, as well as starring opposite Nicolas Cage in the comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent in 2022.

However, Pedro admitted on The Graham Norton Show that he forgot he was offered the part of Joel in The Last Of Us – a show which is currently delighting fans across the world.

“It is a bit hazy because I had stayed up very late meeting everyone and was very excited, so I took a sleeping tablet,” he said.

“When they called to offer me the part, I was so drowsy they had to repeat the offer.

“I then forgot that completely and when I woke up the following morning, I thought because of the time difference between London and LA, I would be waiting by the phone all day to hear if I got the job!”

Co-star bonds

Pedro is not only adored by fans across the globe, but he has also formed sweet bonds with a number of his co-stars.

He is known to be close friends with fellow Star Wars actor Oscar Isaac, who played Poe Dameron in the sequels to the original trilogy.

The pair met while appearing in an off-Broadway play together in 2005, before starring alongside each other in 2019’s Triple Frontier.

Speaking about their friendship, Pedro explained to Esquire that being an actor can be a “lonely journey” but that he has “found family” along the way.

He told Esquire: “We’re both children of Latin immigrants, so there’s sort of a cultural familiarity, then at the same time we’re both actors. We have the same dreams.

“It’s something very special because it can be a lonely journey when you’re out there going after – it sounds corny, but going after your dreams, and to find family along the way.”

The actor then joked: “The other side of it is that he’s the younger brother I never wanted.”

Pedro has also formed a close bond with his Last Of Us co-star Bella Ramsay, with Pedro telling Entertainment Weekly: “We had such a great time [making The Last of Us] and it’s such a rare experience where you get to bond to this degree.

“You almost feel like if you have a really good experience, it’s asking for too much that it’d be well received or that experience be translated to an audience, but that’s the intention and what our whole want is more than anything.”

Love life

Pedro tends to keep his personal life private and it is not known if the star is single or in a relationship.

However, the actor has been linked to a number of his co-stars throughout the years including Orange Is The New Black’s Maria Dizzia, although the pair never confirmed if they were in a relationship, according to Hollywood Life.

Pedro was also snapped with his Game Of Thrones co-star Lena Headey, with the actress sharing a photograph of her and Pedro, captioned: “Sunshine love.”

Again, the two never confirmed if they were in a relationship.

‘Internet daddy’

Earlier in the year while promoting The Last Of Us on the Red Carpet, Pedro also sent the internet wild when he was asked about the tweets referring to him as “daddy.”

Pedro Pascal fans have dubbed the actor “internet daddy,” with many taking to social media to gush over the star.

Speaking to the camera, he joked with Entertainment Tonight saying: “I am your cool, sl**ty daddy,” sending the internet into a meltdown.

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show recently, TV host Graham read out a series of tweets from his fans, with one saying: “Refraining nyself [sic] to scream ‘daddy’ every time I see Pedro Pascal on my screen.”

Another said: “I need to stop calling Pedro Pascal daddy it’s becoming a problem.”

Graham asked Pedro if he was “enjoying all the sudden attention,” before asking the actor “What’s internet daddy?”

Pedro replied: “Me!” before admitting: “I’m still trying to figure it out. I feel like it changes, there’s ‘zaddy’, there’s ‘daddy’.”

Dame Helen Mirren, who was also a guest on the show, asked: “What about a sort of ‘saddy?” to which Pedro said: “That’s the thing, is that I am a ‘saddy’ actually!”

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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk