The Best Pedro Pascal Performances in Movies and TV

Very few actors feel more front and center these days than Pedro Pascal, who, over the last decade, has parlayed his breakout role on Game of Thrones into some seriously iconic pop-culture projects. From getting his head popped by The Mountain to getting his face covered in Mandalorian armor, Pascal has been a top go-to guy for drama, comedy, and high adventure. And with HBO's The Last of Us being such a roaring success, and The Last of Us Season 2 now here too, his specific stock is at an all-time high in 2025.
The Chilean Pascal has been acting since the mid-90s but has only more recently come into marquee parts and headlining billing. Still, the actor has a lot of good work under his belt and we've got his best movies and TV shows here for you to take in.
If you're looking to check out some of Pascal's greatest roles, both big and small, here's our pick of the best Pedro Pascal movies and shows.
The Last of Us (2 Seasons)
Arguably the biggest thing Pedro Pascal's done -- though leading a Star Wars series might narrowly beat this out -- is HBO's spectacular adaptation of The Last of Us video game from Naughty Dog. We're in the middle of The Last of Us Season 2 as of this writing. Not only has the show managed to reinvigorate the rotting zombie genre (though the monsters on the the series aren't "zombies," per se) but it also added more spice and spark to the "apocalypse dad" sub-genre. In Season 1, Pascal plays Joel, opposite Bella Ramsey's Ellie, for a treacherous trek across America in hopes that delivering the fungus-immune Ellie to a lab might result in a cure. In Season 2, well...
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)
Pedro let his funny, fanboy flag fly in 2022's The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent where he plays a billionaire (and possible arms dealer) Nicolas Cage stan, opposite Nicolas Cage playing a heightened version of himself. Pascal got to dig around in a very goofy, meta sandbox with Cage, playing a mysterious wealthy man who pays Cage to attend his birthday party on a Spanish island. It's also one of the best Nicolas Cage movies you'll ever see.
The Mandalorian (3 Seasons)
Though Pascal's popular Star Wars bounty hunter role, come the third season, is mostly relegated to voice work, making it so he's rarely on set, there was a point when he was in The Mandalorian's armor full time (despite his face rarely being shown). The Mandalorian was huge for Pascal, plucking him up and out of the character actor sidelines and giving him a title role while also keeping legions of fans invested during a point when the Star Wars movies were being reined in. Din Djarin and Baby Yoda/Grogu's adventures have kept the spirit of Star Wars alive while also beautifully bridging the canon events of live-action and animation.
While The Mandalorian Season 4 is uncertain, Jon Favreau has confirmed he's directing a new Star Wars movie called The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is a continuation of the series.
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
Most of Pascal's work, for the first half of his career, had been in TV and theater, but thanks to his stint in Game of Thrones: Season 4 more movies fell his way. In The Equalizer 2, Pascal acted opposite Denzel Washington, playing Robert McCall's former partner, a CIA operative turned freelance assassin. This sinister role was one of Pascal's biggest gigs to date, pitting him against Washington's grudge-holding, justice-seeking vigilante.
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
Though both the release and the film itself were not ideal for a DCU movie, many praised Pedro Pascal's lively, villainous turn in Wonder Woman 1984. As Maxwell Lord, a charismatic but failing businessman who finds himself in possession of The Dreamstone, Pascal found himself, for the second time in a handful of years, meme-worthy. This also marked Pascal's second time crossing paths with Diana Prince as he was also in the unaired Wonder Woman pilot from 2011, starring Adrianne Palicki, playing Wonder Woman's liaison to the cops.
Triple Frontier (2019)
Pascal joined Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, and Garrett Hedlund in South American mercenary heist flick, Triple Frontier. From J. C. Chandor, whose Kraven the Hunter opens later this year, Triple Frontier had been bounced around Hollywood for years, attracting stars like Tom Hanks, Johnny Depp, Will Smith, and Mark Wahlberg. Eventually made by Netflix, the movie was a big part of getting Pascal up and running the action genre.
Narcos (3 Seasons)
Speaking of Netflix, another series that helped shine up Pedro Pascal was Narcos, which Pascal starred in for three seasons, taking the full lead role in Season 3 once co-star Boyd Holbrook left. The acclaimed drug war drama thrilled fans with the historic takedowns of both Pablo Escobar and the Cali Cartel. The series eventually spun off into Narcos: Mexico (which also ran for three seasons) but it still stands as a solid, buzz-about midlife series for Netflix before the streamer started coming under fire for canceling shows too quickly.
If Beale Street Could Talk (2018)
Admittedly, If Beale Street Could Talk is not a "Pedro Pascal Movie," but it is an excellent movie, featuring Pascal in a brief uncredited role near the end of the story. Pascal is only on screen for about three minutes, but it's enough of a window to showcase his skills as a scene-stealer - even opposite Regina King, who would win an Oscar for her role in the film.
Prospect (2018)
Before there was Joel and Ellie (well, on a TV show anyhow) there was Ezra and Cee in the little-seen 2018 sci-fi indie film, Prospect. As Ezra, Pascal dipped his toe in reluctant dystopian dad territory as a thief who's paired up with a teenage girl (Yellowjackets/Companion's Sophie Thatcher) on a forest moon after her father's greed for mining gems gets him killed. It's a small, effective future tale that -- look, any movie that takes home the Adam Yauch Hörnblowér Award from SXSW, and has the Beasties seal of approval, has got to be good.
Game of Thrones (Season 4)
For most, Pedro Pascal jumped to the front of the line when he starred on Game of Thrones, during one of the show's very best seasons, as Oberyn Martell, a Dornish noble carrying a not-so-secret hate for the Lannisters. Oberyn was dangerous, debonair, and determined to serve up cold retribution for the death of his sister and her children. Oberyn's demise was a standout moment on a show chock-full of "holy sh*t!" scenes that made for one of the best Game of Thrones episodes.
The Wild Robot (2024)
In this voice role, Pascal plays against type as the guy everyone hates. Really though this is an incredibly touching animated film and one of Dreamworks’ best ever. The actor voices a selfish and hungry fox to balance out Lupita Nyong'o's robot of the title, Roz, becoming her first animal friend and helping her raise an orphaned bird. Yes, he comes around to no longer be a jerk the whole island hates, and also to learn about community in this extremely emotional animated film.
And that's it for our picks of the best Pedro Pascal TV shows and movies. Did your favorite make our list? If not, let us know in the comments.
Upcoming Pedro Pascal Movies and Shows
Pedro Pascal is booked and busy. He has a wide variety of films and shows in the works and coming out soon, and we've broken them all down by release date below.
- Materialists (June 13, 2025)
- The Fantastic Four: First Steps (July 25, 2025)
- Eddington (TBD, 2025)
- Avengers: Doomsday (May 1, 2026)
- The Mandalorian & Grogu (May 22, 2026)
- Avengers: Secret Wars (May 7, 2027)
Looking to dive into more actor's careers? Check out these movie lists:
Matt Fowler is a freelance entertainment writer/critic, covering TV news, reviews, interviews and features on IGN for 13+ years.
Note: This list was updated on April 24, 2025, with more of our favorite Pedro Pascal movies. It was originally published in June, 2023.