Bella Ramsey has weighed in on the ongoing discourse around Pedro Pascal’s sex appeal.
If you somehow managed to miss it, Pedro, 48, has been branded the internet’s “daddy” by fans over the past year — namely after starring in Disney’s The Mandalorian and, more recently, HBO’s The Last of Us.
Time and again, Pedro has laughed at comments about his sex appeal. He quipped that “daddy is a state of mind” during a lie detector test with Vanity Fair last April, and later joked that he was a fan’s “cool, slutty daddy” in response to a thirst tweet.
But when the gag was still going a year later, it began to seem as though Pedro was getting a little tired of the entire thing.
Appearing on The Graham Norton Show in February this year, Pedro admitted that he was “still trying” to figure out his newfound title as “the internet’s daddy.” That same month, he joked about how objectifying “fancams” are while he hosted Saturday Night Live.
Then, in March, Pedro avoided answering a question that was deemed “degrading” by fans while he was on a red carpet for The Mandalorian.
A reporter for Access Hollywood gave Pedro a list of thirst tweets to read aloud before asking him to “pick a favorite.” Pedro stayed quiet for over 10 seconds as he glanced through the tweets before shaking his head while laughing and refusing to answer the question.
He then joked, “Dirty, dirty!” before telling the reporter, “Thank you very much, they were very good,” and walking off. Several internet users were left uncomfortable by the exchange, suggesting that the relentless fixation on Pedro's appearance and sex appeal was “degrading.”
But in spite of this, Pedro was asked about his “daddy” status just weeks later during an episode of the Hollywood Reporter's Drama Actor Roundtables.
While he noted that he’s “having fun” with the entire thing, Pedro suggested to his fellow actors — which included the likes of Evan Peters, Jeff Bridges, Kieran Culkin, Damson Idris, and Michael Imperioli — that his title as the “internet’s daddy” is based on his acting roles.
“It seems a little role-related. There was a period where the Mandalorian is very daddy to baby Grogu, and Joel is very daddy to Ellie. These are daddy parts. That's what it is,” he said, referring to his characters in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us.
Now Pedro’s The Last of Us costar Bella has shared her thoughts on the ongoing discourse around his sex appeal.
Bella, who is nonbinary and uses any pronouns, delivered an incredible performance in the postapocalyptic drama alongside Pedro — and they remain super-close friends offscreen, too.
And sitting down with Vanity Fair for a wide-ranging interview this week, the 19-year-old admitted that they’re “worried” the relentless chatter around Pedro’s sex appeal has “gone too far.”
“I very much played into it at the beginning, but now I’m worried it’s gone too far,” she said.
Bella went on to note that they are unsure whether or not Pedro is still on board with the gag, noting that they’ll have to check in on him.
“I don’t know whether he’s still loving it; I need to ask him,” they said.
“He’s a global phenomenon, as he should be, because he’s pretty spectacular,” she added.