(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
Fri 31 October 2025 3:00, UK
Ever since he took off and became literally the biggest thing ever, anyone who is anyone wants to work with Pedro Pascal.
Across a three-film stretch between 2024 and 2025, he starred in movies directed by Ridley Scott, Ari Aster, and Celine Song, and when you chuck in his side-quests with Ethan Coen, Judd Apatow, and Barry Jenkins, that’s a list that would make anyone as green as the Grinch.
In 2023, he began by adding a legendary friend to his roster, starring in Strange Way of Life (‘Extraña forma de vida’ in Spanish) opposite Ethan Hawke, a short directed by the star’s namesake, the great Pedro Almodóvar. The movie was made in association with fashion house Yves Saint Laurent and also featured Moroccan actor Pedro Casablanc in a supporting role: that has to be some sort of record for ‘most Pedros per square inch’ on a movie set.
As well as sharing his first name, Pascal also harbours a deep affection for the Spanish filmmaker. Speaking to Vanity Fair, the moustachioed star revealed that his love affair with Almodóvar kicked off with an absolute classic: “The first movie of Pedro’s I saw in the theatre was Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. I haven’t missed anything since”.
Adding, “I think his movies are effortlessly dangerous, in color, in story, in performance, in their sense of humour and drama. Meeting him was two things. It was like meeting a king and a family member. He was easy to relate to and easy to worship. He could put you at ease and keep you on your toes. I miss and think of him every day.”
Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios, for those well-versed in Spanish, was the first time most people took notice of Almodóvar. An absurdist comedy featuring many of the filmmaker’s hallmarks of experimental presentation, complicated romantic relationships, Antonio Banderas and more, is still regarded as one of his best. Pascal would have been 13 when the movie came out, which is absolutely too young; however, since I don’t have the data for when it was released in the actor’s native Chile (I tried my best), we could assume that it hit theatres in the country a few years late.
Almost two decades after Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, Strange Way of Life once again presented a subversive take on a classic genre. Pascal and Hawke play two Wild West types who were once lovers many decades ago. They reunite to help solve a murder in a story that brings together traditional western tropes and more modern themes of queer relationships and repression. Think Unforgiven, only Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman indulge in a lot more kissing.
It’s hard to overstate just how much Almodóvar means to the Spanish-speaking community. Pascal is one of many Latin stars who have the utmost respect for the free-thinking genius, as his films have not only pushed forward ideas about sexuality and gender, but they’ve also opened a lot of people’s eyes to the glory of Spanish cinema.
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