Pedro Pascal: ‘I didn’t go to church I was raised by HBO, Spielberg and Prince’


Once in a while a celebrity reminds me what a joy my job can be. Pedro Pascal is a lovely man and I’m lucky to get paid to watch his shows and interviews. I’m happy that everyone is recognizing what an immense talent and sweet man he is. Pedro did an interview with First We Feast earlier this month that I’m just getting around to watching now. Sean Evans does solid, in depth interviews as celebrities eat increasingly hot chicken wings. He typically asks about their careers and doesn’t seem like a gossip trying to get pull quotes. Maybe that’s why so many celebrities like him, along with the crazy challenge of the show. My favorite parts were when Pedro talked about how much he admires Nicolas Cage, with whom he starred in 2022’s The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and when he described how Prince’s music moves him. Here are some quotes and you can see the interview below!

I know that you’re a fan of Nicholas Cage before you starred alongside him. Do you have a Mt. Rushmore of Nicolas Cage movies
The earlier ones because of how impressionable they are but Raising Arizona, Peggy Sue got married, Face-Off. I got a soft spot for Moonstruck and it isn’t even about having a big swing in terms of performance it is actually highly intelligent choice making in his acting. It was really amazing to do homework for that movie and re-watch all these movies that I’d already seen so many times. Adaptation is maybe one of the best screen performances in the history of American cinema but the four that I mentioned have a personal place in my development.

What makes Captain Crunch the top dog of breakfast cereals for you?
Captain Crunch is just so tasty… it makes you think about your childhood and I would do anything to go back there.

As somebody who grew up in San Antonio can you break down the difference between good Tex-Mex and bad Tex-Mex
There’s no good Mexican food in New York. Come for me.

Why is Prince’s Purple Rain the song you’d most want to hear at your funeral?
It’s my favorite song. It’s the most moving song. I don’t know why it always emerges even before I actively just started implementing it into my spiritual routine. I didn’t go to church, I was raised by HBO, Spielberg and Prince. Purple Rain is like the most emotionally cathartic, the most musically sophisticated song that I can think of. If it’s casually or spontaneously playing somewhere I don’t have emotional space to go there because it just moves me so deeply.

[Adapted from YouTube transcript]

I watched The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent on Starz over the weekend and Pedro was such a standout in that movie! He does comedy expertly and was mesmerizing on screen with Nicolas Cage. While I’ve seen most of the Cage movies Pedro mentions and would add The Rock and Con Air to his list, I’m not a big fan and would have tuned out if Pedro wasn’t his costar. Oh and I have to say that although I enjoyed the finale of The Last of Us you could really tell that it was adapted from a video game. The plot, especially in the last episode, was not realistic but I guess you could say that of so many post apocalyptic survival shows.

As a New York girl I can’t comment on his controversial stance that there’s no good Mexican food in New York. I will defer to Hecate’s coverage of this very important issue. As for the quote in the title – I related to this so much except I was raised by HBO, John Hughes and Depeche Mode. Pedro is a couple of years younger than me and we had HBO running in the background constantly in our house.

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photos credit: Getty and Jeffrey Mayer / Avalon

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39 Responses to “Pedro Pascal: ‘I didn’t go to church I was raised by HBO, Spielberg and Prince’”

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  1. ThatsNotOkay says:

    He seems to have a good spirit. And I can’t say as I know of many Mexican restaurants in NYC. And this doesn’t count as food, let alone Mexican food, but the last Taco Bell I remember reading about got shut down because the rats in the Village were having a parade inside it and got caught on film.

    • The Recluse says:

      Good luck finding any decent Mexican food east of the Mississippi or north of Oklahoma. I lived in the DC area for 28 years and Chipotle was pretty much the only stuff I ate because Taco Hell made me sick.
      There used to be good Central American influenced restaurants in DC though. Don’t know if they’re still open though.

  2. Frippery says:

    Thank you for covering an interview where an actor talks about the joy of their craft and not the mental torture they put themselves through for #art. Pedro deserves every bit of the game that’s shining on him right now.

    • Frippery says:

      Every bit of the Fame, not game. But he does have game.

    • Rachel says:

      He is 100% right on the Mexican and Tex-Mex. San Antonio and Austin is where it’s at.

      • Miss Melissa says:

        1000%

      • Mabs A'Mabbin says:

        I’ve lived all over Texas, good Mexican food can be discovered pretty much all over. And some of the best Mexican food? It’s at dilapidated looking spots lol. Food trucks. There’s some expensive spots in Houston which are incredible. But San Antonio is awesome. Austin has some good places too. And everything along the price ranges in all the cities.

  3. Danbury says:

    YAY for more Pedro coverage! The interview was so cute (the joke he made about his moustache …) He seems to be the nicest guy ever and I am so glad he’s getting the spotlight now. Plus he’s loves fashion which is a definite bonus. Honking for Pedro!

    • LadyMTL says:

      I don’t always like his fashion choices (don’t get me started on those baggy pleated taupe pants that he wore a few weeks ago) but it’s true that he really does seem to enjoy clothes and dressing outside the box. Plus he really seems like a nice guy overall…I will happily also honk for Pedro!

  4. Kat says:

    Pedro seems like he is just happy and grateful to be here. He seems like he is having a good time! I hope we see more of him in film and tv 🤞

  5. smcollins says:

    Don’t stop with the Pedro posts, even if he’s not out here promoting anything and in between projects. Find any reason you can to have a Pedro post! He’s the human embodiment of happiness & joy atop a mountain of sexiness.

  6. K8erade says:

    I don’t know how many of you have seen the show Shoresy but I feel the same way towards him that Shoresy feels towards Laura…I would be so good to him. Lol.

    Please don’t ever stop with the Pedro posting.

  7. Hannah says:

    Lol at the HBO comment. My teen memories are peppered with the HBO jingle followed by the start of The Sopranos

  8. TwinFalls says:

    I knew Pedro Pascal and I were the same age just by his choice of influences and funeral song lol.

    We love The Mandalorian at my house but I can’t do zombies so thank you to everyone else watching making the show successful so we get more Pedro in our lives.

    • laurie says:

      Watch him and Nic Cage in the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. They are both so funny and hot!! 💕

  9. Abakoebs says:

    Always here for Pedro coverage. It’s so nice to celebrate someone who seems so genuinely nice. And hot. And funny.

    I’m looking forward to Cannes pictures – his film (Strange Way of Life) is premiering there.

  10. Karina says:

    As a Mexican-American that grew up in both countries and has lived in NYC for almost 10 years, I can say that the Mexican food here is never going to be as good as on the west coast or in Mexico because the ingredients are not of the same quality. That being said you can find some delicious places particularly in Queens and 1 or 2 in the Bronx.

    I can’t speak on Tex-Mex though because I’m not a fan of it.

    • EPLFan says:

      I’m from the same part of the world as Pascal and know what he’s talking about when he says Tex-Mex. It’s something you only get from San Antonio to Hatch, New Mexico. And he’s right. There’s one place on the entire East Coast I’ve found and happily it’s a 20 minute drive from where I live.

      • Karina says:

        This comment section is really making me want to try San Antonio Tex-Mex food. Please don’t come for me but I’ve only had it in Fort Worth and Houston and it just wasn’t it *ducks for cover*

  11. Melissa says:

    Go check out his interview on Graham Norton. It’s great!!

  12. Abby says:

    Such an interesting question about Tex-Mex. I am from San Antonio as well, and live in Fort Worth now. You would think the Tex-Mex would be the same since it’s still Texas… but it’s not! South Texas has noticeable differences in cuisine from any other Mexican food I’ve tried. I am partial to that style because I was raised on it (SOMEONE GET SOME GOOD BREAKFAST TACOS UP HERE FOR THE LOVE), but I also like New Mexico Mexican food, Mexican food from California, etc. I have never had Mexican food in New York City. I don’t think I would though. With all the cuisine available there I’d definitely steer clear of the food I can eat every day. 🙂 I’m sure it’s fine but probably not the same as San Antonio.

    • Sarah B says:

      Anyone who says “but what about Joe T’s or Uncle Julio’s?!”…red flag.

      • Abby says:

        LOL Yes. Joe T’s for the margaritas. I like Uncle Julios a lot, but it’s not the same kind of cuisine! I like Mexican food up here, I just don’t compare the two.

        And @issMarirose, I have not found a puffy taco anywhere up here! 🙂

        @frizzielizzie yes! I like the taco place in the gas station down the street from my house called Tacos Cantu (I’m in East Fort Worth–if y’all come back you should try it), but it’s street tacos in a different style. And burritos. They do have breakfast tacos but it is not San Antonio style. And it has the stamp of the construction worker’s approval. I have to call ahead and wait in line with the crews–that’s how you know it’s good, right?

    • MissMarirose says:

      To be honest, I think San Antonio should have its own category because it’s Tex-Mex is different from Tex-Mex in the rest of the state. For example, where else are you gonna get puffy tacos?

      And Pascal is right: there is no good Mexican food in NYC.

    • FrizzieLizzie says:

      This! Husband lived in Dallas for many years in construction and he talked about good breakfast burritos. The kind that are steak, potatoes, eggs, peppers and cheese. One of those kept him working all day. So, we went to Arlington for a wedding last summer and in the four days we were there, we never found a single burrito that was even close to what he remembered. And the breakfast tacos were just…sad. It was disappointing, so we just made our own after we got home.

  13. Lattenow says:

    Capt crunch, Prince… this guy is awesome and my soulmate

  14. Chantal says:

    Lol at him saying “come for me”. And he’s spot on about Cap’n Crunch and Prince!

  15. Peanut Butter says:

    I just love him. I first took notice of him in Narcos when I reacted with, WHO IS THIS MAN??! And since then, I’ve read and seen nothing but good things about him.

  16. The Voice says:

    Ahhhh I go to Reddit to get my daily dose of Pedro. The subreddit is very active. He’s like a ray of sunshine, expressive, and very emotional intelligent. Mostly I just love that he can portray complex and aggressive characters (Prince Oberyn on GoT!!) but he’s a goofy guy in real life. He’s also beautiful and down-to-earth but still aware that he’s a heartthrob and he loves it. That laugh of his!

  17. Marisol says:

    I love that he acknowledges his privilege as a White Latino in so many interviews that I’ve read or seen of his. As a Black Latino it really is appreciated. Love him.

  18. outoftheshadows says:

    Just not fair to say we have no good Mexican food in New York–I just left a great lunch served up by a Oaxacan lady in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Come visit me, Pedro! Outer boroughs!

    I also want to say that all good food in New York has at least one Mexican worker in the kitchen. Sometimes it seems like the whole city of Puebla just moved here to work in food service. We would be sunk without them!

    I do love Pedro, though. He’s a sweet guy.

  19. Eggbert says:

    He was so funny in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent I’d love to see him do some more comedy.

  20. The Recluse says:

    Pedro Pascal = International Treasure.

  21. EastVillager says:

    I went to college with him (I wish I could say we were friends back then, but that would be a stretch) and it’s so wonderful to see him enjoying big success. He’s genuinely a good dude. The real deal. Mad respect for a guy who waited tables and lived in Red Hook until his big break.

  22. Natasha says:

    I was raised by Depeche Mode too! Pedro is just the best. I loved him on Game of Thrones and Narcos. Even the small role he played in If Beale Street could talk was phenomenal. The Last of Us was a great show, and I do agree about the last episode, for a non gamer it felt very much like watching someone play the game, but it didn’t take away from the experience. I so loved the show and so bummed it will take another year in a half to see the second season, I did something I never do NOR recommend. I read the synopsis of season 2 of the game and suggest to anyone who wants to savor and enjoy the experience, do not read it. All the best to Pedro Pascal. Can’t wait to see him win his first Emmy, Tony and Oscar!