As Kim Cattrall’s public relations specialist Samantha Jones said on “Sex and the City” while trying to make her boyfriend a star, “First comes the gays, then the girls, then the guys.” [entertainment] industry.”
Perhaps no one has been better proof of this theory than “The last of usStar Pedro Pascal, 47, who has risen to household name status in part because of how beloved he is by queer people.
On reflection, “beloved” might actually be understating things – “thirst for” is more accurate, and the source of Pedro Pascal’s thirst for queer people lies partly in the long-running rumors that Pascal himself is queer.
Is Pedro Pascal gay or bisexual?
There is no confirmation (or denial) of Pascal’s sexuality.
Although Pascal keeps his private life pretty close to the vest, he definitely has an undeniable affinity for queer people and queer culture.
Pascal has never stated his sexuality but is a strong supporter of the LGBTQ community, including his trans sister Lux Pascal.
Pascal has spoken out in favor of gay rights on several occasions.
When her younger sister, a Chilean actress Lux Pascal28, came out transgender in 2021, he was the first to publicly kiss it.
Posting a photo from the cover of his sister’s magazine, Pascal, who was born in Santiago, Chile, gave his post the heartfelt caption, “Mi hermana, mi corazón, nuestra Lux” – Spanish for “My sister, my heart, our Lux.”
Pascal would also have pushed Disney+ to include LGBTQ representation in future seasons from “The Mandalorian”, on which he interprets the title role, following the scandal of the show in which the star Gina Carano makes transphobic comments.
Pascal said it’s normal for men to be attracted to other men, which some say means he’s sexually fluid.
Pedro Pascal’s prominent roles include Joel Miller in HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’, the title role in ‘The Mandalorian’, Javier Peña in Netflix’s ‘Narcos’ and the villainous Maxwell Lord in ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ .
But before that, Pascal’s most famous role was as bisexual prince Oberyn Martell on HBO’s “Game of Thrones.”
In a 2017 interview, the Los Angeles Times asked Pascal about a subreddit called “Gay for Oberyn”, a Reddit forum for straight men who have crushes on Pascal and his character.
Pascal linked the forum to sexual fluidity, tell the LA Times“I think it’s all spectrum, right? Straight men can have – have – crushes on other men.”
“It doesn’t make them gay, it doesn’t make them bi.”
This modern view of sexual orientation, held by many gay people, has led many to suspect that Pascal himself is gay and sexually fluid.
He went on to say he was “super flattered” by the attraction men have for him and his character.
Pedro Pascal has referred to himself with gay and queer slang terms like “dad” in interviews and social media posts.
LGBTQ people online frequently refer to Pascal as “dad”, a queer slang term for an older, handsome man, especially a gay one.
Pascal embraced the moniker wholeheartedly, even calling himself “sl-tty cool dad” in a recent red carpet interview, much to the internet’s delight.
He also referred to himself as “dad” in a recent Instagram post showing off a particularly rugged “dad” look he sported in a scene from “The Last Of Us.”
Perhaps most telling of all, in another Instagram post, Pascal jokingly referred to himself as “her” in a caption that reads, “She complicated” in reference to the dramatic photo he shared.
Referring to self and other as “her” has been a running joke among gay men for ages, with longstanding roots in drag subcultures.
Pascal has also embraced queer culture jokes, such as referring to male idols as “dad” and female icons as “mother,” as he did in this clip about his friends Oscar Isaac and Sarah Paulson.
Pedro Pascal has many homosexual friends, including lesbian actress Sarah Paulson, his best friend for 30 years.
Pascal and Paulson have been friends since they met as teenagers in New York in the 90s, and Paulson was even instrumental in get Pascal’s cast in “Game of Thrones”.
But although it has been rumored in the past that they were dating, it is highly unlikely that this is the case.
Paulson has been in a committed relationship with actress Holland Taylor since 2015 and lesbian actress Cherry Jones.
Of course, straight men can also be best friends with women.
But Pascal and Paulson seem to relate to each other in a way that many gay men and women will instantly recognize in their own friendships, such as the banter and barbs they exchanged while accompanying each other to SAG Awards 2016, seen below.
Pedro Pascal has played gay characters throughout his career.
As the internet recently revealed, Pascal’s professional ties to the LGBTQ community date back to the 1990s, when he was an unknown actor named Pedro Balmaceda playing a gay man named Greg on MTV’s “Undressed.”
In the present day, Pascal stars alongside Ethan Hawke as a gay cowboy in Spanish gay filmmaker Pedro Almodovar’s upcoming film. “A Strange Way of Life” premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in May.
Straight men can also play gay cowboys, of course – as does Hawke and as straight actors Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledgerfamous in “Brokeback Mountain” in 2006.
Still, Almodovar’s films focus almost exclusively on queer characters and the queer experience, so it wouldn’t be surprising if Pascal was drawn to the project for that reason.
Who did Pedro Pascal date?
Pascal is extremely private about his personal life – which is part of why there’s so much speculation about whether he might be gay or bisexual.
But surely to the chagrin of the internet, the people Pascal is known to have all been women.
In the 1990s, Pascal reportedly dated actress Maria Dizzia, best known for her role as Polly Harper in Netflix’s “Orange Is The New Black.”
Later, in 2014, Pascal was thought to be dating his “Game of Thrones” co-star Lena Headey after the two were spotted together and Headey posted a picture of them looking good together on Instagram.
He was later linked to ‘The Mentalist’ actress Robin Tunney after they were spotted together in Los Angeles in 2015.
Of course, dating women doesn’t mean Pascal isn’t queer, especially given the fluid attitude he’s taken towards sexuality.
Regardless, Pascal’s support and embrace of the LGBTQ community, especially trans people, those difficult times is a welcome change from how male stars have typically reacted to gay rumors.
Even though he’s straight, Pascal has proven himself worthy of the title of Gay Icon.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice, and human interest topics.