Pedro Pascal has been out here working for literal decades both in theater and practically any kind of screen imaginable. Case in point? One of his earliest roles was a 1999 guest spot on the iconic television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Ahem:
Despite the minor role, good karma clearly caught up with Pedro, who, 24 years later, sweetly recalled his time on the series during an interview with Entertainment Tonight. The celeb reminisced on working with lead actor Sarah Michelle Gellar, and remembered "Absolutely everything. I remember she had ice cream in her trailer, and she gave me some. She went back to her trailer, she got me some ice cream and she shared—’cause it was a night shoot, it was in the middle of the night, and we were on the UCLA campus. They hadn’t built their college sets yet."
"I was doing a play in Long Beach, and I had to miss opening night because we had to shoot this very, very short moment. I remember everything. I could go on, and on and on. I could give you step by step, every detail," the actor continued.
Fast-forward over a decade, however, and it was Pedro's multi-episode appearance as Oberyn Martell (aka The Red Viper) on Game of Thrones—a gig he landed with the help of his lifelong friend Sarah Paulson, who helped him audition for the show—that put him on the map (and made viewers everywhere high-key thirst over him 👀).
Since then, he's been cast in tons of projects, from The Last of Us and Narcos to the newest iteration of the Fantastic Four franchise...which means he's been making some serious moolah as of late. Just how much, you ask? Let's get into it.
Narcos Made Pedro a Full-On Leading Character
Chances are, one of the first times you saw Pedro in a large-scale project (which likely coincided with one of the first times you stared at your screen like this 👁👄👁) was in the 2015 Netflix crime drama series Narcos, which the actor went on to star in for a whopping three (!!) seasons.
The hit show was based on the real-life events of DEA agent Javier Pena, who helped lead the international investigation and manhunt for Pablo Escobar, the Colombian drug lord.
The show has since gone off to explore tons of spinoffs, including Narcos: Mexico, which is also referred to as "the one Bad Bunny is in" lol.
The Mandalorian Made Him Disney Famous (And Rich)
To put it lightly: the American space Western television series was a big freakin' deal. Like, according to the Hollywood Reporter, the season 3 trailer for the show was viewed over 83.5 million times, which totally blows the previous record for a Disney+ Star Wars series of 58 million views for Obi Wan Kenobi out of the water.
Despite being the titular protagonist on The Mandalorian as Din Djarin aka *the* Mandalorian, the actor's salary has not yet been disclosed. However, according to industry insider Daniel Richtman (via StyleCaster), Pedro asked for a raise in anticipation of season 3 of the series. Additionally, the outlet reports that, once she was fired from the show, actor Gina Carano revealed she'd earned between $25,000 and $50,000 per episode during her time on it (oh, and that the leading stars, which Pedro most certainly was, made much more).
Though the status of season 4 remains kinda murky, what we do know for sure is that Pedro likely made an eye-watering amount during his time on the show.
Pedro’s Role On The Last of Us Was Legit Record-Breaking
Slotted during Max's coveted 9 pm EST Sunday slot, The Last of Us totally catapulted Pedro to new levels of stardom. Given the limited cast (I mean, other than the zombies, obvi), the actor's star power was bright as he took on the lead role of Joel, a smuggler who is hired to escort a girl named Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States.
According to Variety, Pedro made a whopping $600,000 per episode (aka $5.4 million total) for season 1, which made him one of the highest-paid actors in 2021. Oh, and according to Celebrity Net Worth, that per-episode salary more specifically made the celeb the 12th highest-paid actor on television that year.
Btw, in a February 2, 2023, appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Pedro recalled the hilarious experience of having forgotten he'd gotten the role after taking an Ambien. "I get a call that I got the job after I took the Ambien, and so I was excited I guess, but I didn't remember," the actor relayed to Jimmy. "I woke up in the morning and the first thing that occurred to me was like, 'Oh man, I really want that job.'"
He then continued, "I'm in London, they're in L.A., I'm gonna wait by the phone all day long, this hasn't happened in a while, I'm gonna be longing and I'm gonna think about it all day long. And then it was like, 'Congratulations, I'm so happy for you!' when I looked at my phone. And I was like, 'Oh yeah, I got the job!'"
Truly could not feel more #blessed that Pedro wound up being our Joel. 🥺❤️
Oh, and for everything you need to know about season 2 of the hit show, head right on over this way:
He’s Also Into ~Theatre~
Throughout his career, Pedro—a graduate of New York University Tisch School of the Arts— has routinely gone back to the theatre world. In fact, just some of his most notable stage roles were in productions like King Lear, Maple and Vine, Beauty of the Father, Sand, Based on a Totally True Story, Old Comedy After Aristophane's Frogs, Some Men, Much Ado About Nothing, and Macbeth.
Didn't think we could be more obsessed with this man, but here we are!
And He’ll Be Making That MCU $$$ Real Soon
Yep, in November 2023, it was announced that Pedro was cast as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic) in the latest Fantastic Four film, which was no doubt a pinch-me moment for the actor, who, after taking on the role of Max Lord in Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman 1984, was so incredibly gracious and had this to say when Variety asked whether he'd get another opportunity like it:"It will never happen again...It felt so special...I don’t know! I’m protecting myself psychologically! It’s just all too good to be true! How dare I!"
What 😭 a 😭 humble 😭 king 😭😭😭.
So, What’s the Total?!?!
Oh, nothing much! Just a totally not-at-all-casual $10 million buckaroonies. *Le sigh* Honestly, we can't even be mad since there's truly nothing we enjoy more than watching Pedro on our screens. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
