Last week, Creed and Fruitvale Station star Michael B. Jordan made his Saturday Night Live hosting debut alongside musical guest Lil Baby. He got covered in food, played a stripper, and showed us that he was just like a good neighbor as Jake from State Farm. Last night, The Last of Us leading man Pedro Pascal made his hosting debut alongside Coldplay. It was an episode coated in silliness that featured an HBO version of Mario Kart, an angry Punxsutawney Phil, and Lisa from Temecula.
Pascal spoke about adjusting to fame in his monologue and how being part of epic franchises like Game of Thrones, Star Wars, and now The Last of Us has made him easily recognizable. (Well, okay, in The Mandalorian, he’s in a helmet the whole time.) Still, the actor is rapidly rising to the top of the Hollywood ladder and people from all over the world are noticing. The Chilean-born actor came from humble beginnings and his family sought out America as a refuge. “It is amazing to be here,” he beamed from the Studio 8H stage. “I was born in Chile, and nine months later, my parents fled Pinochet and brought me and my sister to the US. They were so brave and without them, I wouldn’t be here in this wonderful country. And I certainly wouldn’t be standing here with you all tonight.”
Though Pedro Pascal is having a moment now, he’s been hustling for a long time. Like many actors cutting their teeth, he’s appeared on Law & Order (twice) and has had bit parts on a number of shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Without a Trace, Nurse Jackie, The Good Wife, and Body of Proof. In an interview with Wired, he explained, “I didn’t get Game of Thrones till I was in my late thirties. And therefore, the amount of times I was helped, and the amount of people that I could rely on through some really tough times—I’m never going to let some of them ever buy dinner again. I want to take care of people as much as they took care of me.”
As alluded to earlier, this intense fame is all new to Pascal. He recently starred alongside Nicolas Cage in the meta-comedy The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, which not only paired him up with one of his favorites of all time but showed a much looser side of him than The Viper on Game of Thrones. “I think that having more knowledge of Nicolas Cage in his movies than the writers writing the Nicolas Cage movie of all Nicolas Cage movies probably helped me get the part, because they had no idea if I was funny. And so, all we really did was talk about Nicolas Cage movies.” he told GQ. He shakes off the sillies for the massive and already revered video game adaptation The Last of Us as Joel Miller, a survivor of the Cordyceps virus who is tasked with protecting Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a young teenager who is, despite having been infected, shows no signs of sickness. The drama series, which was created by Craig Mazin and video game creator Neil Druckmann has already been renewed for a Season 2.
Pascal is not slowing down anytime soon. In addition to the upcoming Season 3 of The Mandalorian, he is set to star alongside Ethan Hawke in the short western romance Strange Way of Life which is slated to premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, Tropico with Willem Dafoe, and David Harbour in the series My Dentist’s Murder Trial.
Let’s revisit some of the best moments from the February 4 episode of Saturday Night Live. Live from New York, it’s Pedro Pascal!
6 Honorable Mention: Punxsutawney Phil
First-year SNL cast member Michael Longfellow continues to crush at the Weekend Update desk. He slides his blasé attitude and fur suit over to Michael Che as Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog whose shadow—or lack thereof—holds immense power. But, he’s kind of over it. Yeah, sure, he saw his shadow, but does that even mean anything anymore? Climate change, man. Also, did you know groundhogs vape?
5 HBO Mario Kart Trailer
They need to get to Rainbow Road. Think they can handle it? HBO is known for its prestigious, gritty, high-quality content, which makes them the perfect home for The Last of Us. Finally, a video game adaptation that is actually incredibly well done. But why should HBO stop there? The Home Box Office tackles Mario Kart, the obvious choice for the next video game they need to adapt. Mario (Pascal) and Luigi (Mikey Day) help transport Princess Peach (Chloe Fineman) to Rainbow Road, doing their best to dodge the fury of the main bad guy, Bowser (Kenan Thompson).
4 Lisa from Temecula
It’s Shaina’s (Punkie Johnson) special birthday dinner and her sister Lisa (Ego Nwodim) came in all the way from Temecula to celebrate. And she means business. Don’t even try because she’s not “giving up the butt” tonight. But you know what will happen tonight? She will get her steak cooked extra extra well done, the only way she will consume meat. No red for Lisa. Her food might be prepared just the way she likes it, but it’s incredibly difficult to cut. And do you really expect her to eat it without ketchup?
3 Waking Up
He woke up, but he doesn’t know what’s what! Charlie (Pascal) wakes up from a coma surrounded by his loved ones, but he is super confused. And talking, like, really weird. What’s that about? He sounds like he’s from Los Angeles, but also like he’s holding cereal in his mouth. Should we worry? Nah nah! Let’s put a pin in that.
2 Fancam Assembly
Pedro Pascal is here to teach you a lesson. High school teacher Mr. Ben (Pascal) loves his students, but he doesn't love what they’ve been doing to him. Actually, he’s just confused by it. “I just don’t understand, why do you make sparkly, fast, romantic montages of me every single day?” The answer is simple. He simply “sends them,” “gives them life,” and “has them in a chokehold.” But are these all compliments? And if he’s Daddy, then who’s Mommy?
1 Protective Mom
Louis (Marcello Hernandez) is a little stressed. He’s bringing his girlfriend Brittany (Chloe Fineman) home to meet his very protective mother Mama Flores (Pascal) for the first time and is afraid she will scare his girlfriend away. No one is good enough for her son! Especially not those who eat vegan sliders. Pedro Pascal playing a judgy mother with an attitude is something you didn’t know you needed.
On February 25, Woody Harrelson hosts and joins the Five-Timers Club alongside musical guest Jack White.