‘OMG, Why Is Pedro Pascal on Teen Beat?!’
Hello WNVM-ers,
After a confusing trip to Barnes & Noble and a frenzied text convo in which Fawnia blurted out the question in today’s subject line, we tag team this week to investigate why Gen X-er Pedro Pascal is the perfect cover star for a grown-up Teen Beat — which also may save print media. What a hero.
Our interest in this topic goes deep, both as journalists wondering about this iteration of magazines, and as Pedro admirers. Cheryl was first smitten with the orgy-loving, smoldering Oberyn Martell in his career-changing role in “Game of Thrones.” Meanwhile, Fawnia, who’s highly susceptible to ‘80s copaganda, became enamored with Pedro — and his period authentic jeans — as a DEA agent in the “Miami Vice”-adjacent “Narcos.”
We’d love to hear your Pedro tipping point moment in the comments!
My Angel Is a Centerfold
An exhaustive investigation into the universally irresistible charm of Pedro Pascal, and why the Gladiator II star may be the savior of print media.
By Cheryl and Fawnia
The Barnes & Noble on the Upper West Side of Manhattan recently got a facelift, and the magazine section is ample. But it looks a lot different than it did 30 years ago.
The stalwarts like Vogue and People are still there. But now, rows of glossies at the front dedicated to only one topic feature prominently. Most often it’s Taylor Swift. But nestled among the paeans to this expected commercial idol is a title, for $19.99, featuring the 49-year-old Pedro Pascal wearing a tuxedo and a beatific smile, with the cover line: “Hollywood’s Kookiest Heart-throb.”
Yes, Pedro is on the modern day equivalent of Teen Beat, packaged as “Kings of the Screen.” He even has an oversized $32 poster magazine, and one (from a different publisher) that offers a wall calendar and a sheet of stickers that feature the slogans “Daddy is a state of mind” and “Hello, I’m a proud Pascalorian,” plus an image of Pedro drunkenly holding his SAG award.
So why are people buying — and they definitely are — a middle-aged man’s fan magazines like he’s a New Kid on the Block in 1989?
These magazines sit firmly in the middle of a Venn diagram that includes the resurgence of print in new forms, the power of dedicated online fandoms, and a melding of the horniness of several generations. Toss in Pedro’s unconventional rise to stardom, his savvy and exciting use of the red carpet, and the X factor he possesses (Is it “daddy”? Is it “babygirl”? The world of Pedro is sometimes contentious.), and you have the makings of a thoroughly modern celebrity industrial complex.
Pedro Pascal: The Bookazine Unicorn
“Niche magazines are the ones that really seem to appeal to people,” says Christian Guiltenane, the UK-based editor-in-chief at Anthem Publishing responsible for the “Kings and Queens of Pop Culture” titles and the man behind the Pedro ‘zine. He formerly wrote for OK!, so he knows this genre. “[Traditional] celebrity magazines don't really sell very well anymore because they're so varied.”
Special interest publications, commonly called “bookazines,” have grown in the wake of discussions about the death of both monoculture and print magazines. Consumers seem to want, and will pay upwards of $20 for, niche titles. Instead of selling advertising and giving the content to readers cheaply, bookazines offer a deep dive on high interest topics with no ads, according to a 2023 Poynter article. They are meant to be kept, not discarded like Us Weekly at a nail salon.
Anthem published its first Pedro Pascal bookazine 18 months ago, and they’ve been a success for the company, selling at least 75% of the physical copies that get sent out. “He does well,” says Guiltenane. He expects Pedro titles will continue to do well in light of Gladiator II and his upcoming Marvel project, Fantastic Four.
The magazines are unofficial, meaning celebrities don’t participate. Stories are aggregated from previously published interviews using images from photo services. Anthem’s Pedro mag includes coloring pages, word puzzles, and original interviews with people who run fan accounts for Pedro online. These magazines are the print equivalent of a Ken doll’s crotch — totally neutered. Respectful stories about his inspirational career path, his kindness, and his mental health make up the magazines, with no overt nods to the horniness that undergirds a chunk of Pedro’s fanbase.
Despite the fact we here at WNVM are thinking about them like the Tiger Beat of our youths, Guiltenane says the magazines are meant for an adult audience. While for some titles that often means 20- and 30-somethings, he notes that Pedro appeals to a wide spectrum, including Gen X.
Fans have discussed the Pedro bookazines online, and while some people are put off by the fact that he doesn’t profit from the magazines and they have concerns that there might be misinformation in them, many do succumb to the urge to own Pedro physical media.
“Having fan magazines is amazing in my opinion. It’s like a deeper way to connect with your favorite actors,” says Zoë Martina, 21, the founder of fan site Callum Turner News, and a Pedro enthusiast. “It’s fun, informative, and a way to feel closer to them.”
So how did we get here?
A Non-Traditional Rise to Stardom
After graduating from NYU’s Tisch in 1997, Pedro paid his dues for decades, landing small TV parts, like a fledgling bloodsucker in a 1999 episode of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” In a 2019 GQ video, the actor breaks down his “most iconic” roles, including six episodes on “The Good Wife" as “asshole attorney” Nathan Landry. In the Julianna Marguilies series, a baby-faced Pedro’s main purpose was keeping Chris Noth’s disgraced States Attorney in jail — so basically, he was already a hero in 2011.
But, in 2014, landing the role of charismatic, sex positive prince Oberyn Martell in “Game of Thrones” put him on the map. “The Red Viper — whaddya want?!” says Pedro, in the video, wildly gesticulating and stretching both arms out into a T. “Changed my life!”
How Pedro snagged the role is now the stuff of legend, much like Oberyn’s gruesome slow-death by gouged-out eyeballs. While mentoring a USC student, Pedro read the script, fell in love with the character, and called NYU BFF Sarah Paulson, who’s good friends with “GoT” co-creator David Benioff’s wife, Amanda Peet. For the record, the mentee, Francisco Garat said in an interview that he was “thrilled” for Pedro, who went onto his first series regular role, as DEA Agent Javier Peña on “Narcos.” Three seasons on the Netflix drama vaulted Pedro into big-screen roles, like the rope-slinging and cowboy onesie ski-suit sporting anti-spy, Whiskey, in Matthew Vaughn’s 2017 movie Kingsmen: The Golden Circle.
“It's the most intimate I've ever, ever become with a costume, let's say that," Pedro told Fawnia — who’s never wanted to be a piece of clothing so badly in her entire life — when she volunteered herself to interview him at a Fashion Week event that year. (She also took the below pic with him — snapped by the movie’s costume designer, and Madonna’s longtime concert stylist, Arianne Phillips.)
In the aforementioned video, Pedro was promoting his role in the Latin America-set action-thriller, Triple Frontier, which also stars old friend Oscar Isaac. (This video is very fun, too.)
Martina became a Pedro fan after watching the ensemble heist flick with her father.
“He was just so captivating in it,” she says and it prompted her to cram Pedro’s complete oeuvre, even shows dating back to her elementary school years. “He’s one of those actors who always draws you in no matter the role.”
A look at Pedro’s IMDb from 2017 onward shows he’s prolific, like his uncredited but impactful three and a half minutes in Barry Jenkins’ heart wrenching 2018 drama, If Beale Street Could Talk, an Armani-ish suit-wearing villain in 2020’s Wonder Woman 1984, and Nic Cage superfan in the 2022 meta action comedy, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. But, a perfect storm of events at the start of 2023 propelled Pedro into the absolute peak of global fame, and thirst from all generations.
In January, “The Last of Us” hit HBO, proving that a mushroom zombie apocalypse video game could be an incredibly moving study of found family confronting loss and complex choices through unimaginable challenges. As gritty, grieving smuggler Joel, Pedro becomes a reluctant guardian to teenage Ellie (Bella Ramsey), as he escorts her across the country in an attempt to save the world. Further cementing his appeal, Pedro always made sure to elevate Ramsey in their joint interviews, and their adorable dad-kid-like banter stole hearts across the world.
“So I was kind of a late adopter of Pedro Pascal. I didn't know who he was until I'd watched ‘Last of Us,’” says Julianne LaMay, 49, who runs the fan account Pawsitively Pedro Pascal. She says she then texted her friend, “Who's the guy who plays Joel? He's kind of hot, I think.”
Season three of Disney+’s “The Mandalorian” then kicked off in March, continuing Pedro’s role as the almost-always-masked Din Djarjin. This is Pedro’s power — even in a full coverage face armor, he melts the cold, dead hearts of Star Wars fans, especially when nurturing the teeny Grogu a.k.a. Baby Yoda.
These last two caregiving roles really set the stage for his “Daddy” era, but dressing the part completed the magic formula — and provided more compelling visual fodder for bookazines to fly off the shelves.
We are two Gen X journalists who analyze all the '80s and '90s nostalgia in current pop culture, fashion, and beauty. Read more stories like this one here!
The Fashion Factor
At age 47 in early 2023, Pedro’s joyful, jaunty, and surprising red carpet outings seamlessly dovetailed with his celebrated career milestones. “I’m a storyteller, first and foremost,” says his stylist Julie Ragolia, who also works with Riz Ahmed and LaKeith Stanfield.
For consecutive “The Mandalorian” premieres, she inventively dressed Pedro in sexy and oh-so-snuggly sweater combos, starting with a cropped, and half-unbuttoned, brown mesh cardigan over a scoop neck tank and red pleated pants — all Acne — in London. Then came a hot prof Gucci ‘fit in Los Angeles: more big pants, a pastel yellow shirt from the Harry Styles HA HA HA collab, and a marigold cashmere sweater effortlessly tied around his shoulders.
“My only goal was for people to see Pedro as he deserved,” says Ragolia. “Carpet ogling is often reserved for younger actors. It was an exciting challenge to consider the potential Pedro, a man in his forties, had to break hearts through his clothes. Playing initially with cardigans was an inside wink to that effort.”
Then for May’s Met Gala, Pedro bared his quads and calves in a black shorts and lace-up boots look, layered with a red shirt and coat. But, hey, he did wear a tie to the formal occasion! (This custom Valentino look is memorialized on a sticker in one of his bookazines.)
Ragolia has a knack for conveying her clients’ personalities, tastes, and projects through innovative, almost intellectual, and always impeccable looks. But, she also credits Pedro for making the looks his own, culminating in a phenomenon that GQ dubbed, "The Sudden Fashion Daddy Arrival.”
“Some of it is me, but a lot of it is Pedro’s genuine charm,” says Ragolia. “Clothes have resonance, and are inherent with emotional connection. I firmly believe this, so choose things that amplify who Pedro is naturally. But, also, I love to defy expectations or suppositions that culture has for people. Why can’t a man in his forties show off his legs, for example, or wear bright colors?”
Pedro’s ‘Daddy’ Era and What That Means
Pedro went on to receive the all-encompassing crown of “The Internet’s Daddy.” “Saturday Night Live,” where he performed his monologue in a purple pussy bow blouse, even devoted a sketch to his new nickname, with Paulson making a cameo as “Mommy.” The next year, “Las Culturistas” podcast hosts Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers honored Pedro with the “Daddy Award” at the annual Culture Awards.
The etymology of “Daddy” originated in gay culture, with a topline definition of an older, confident, and sexy man, in some type of relation to a younger counterpart — be it mentor or romantic. Interpretations evolve, and sometimes devolve — and Mark Harris has a great deep dive on the word — but the irrepressibly charming Pedro seems to have become the face of “Daddy.” Gladiator II co-star, and the Internet’s Boyfriend, 28-year-old Paul Mescal recently christened Pedro as “Step Zaddy” — and deferentially posed next to an autographed photo of the previous “SNL” host ahead of his own debut spoofing the term.
“I truly adore this man. To many, he’s a ‘zaddy,’ ‘daddy,’ ‘boyfriend,’ or whatever other nicknames people give him, but to me, Pedro is ‘Tío,’” says Curaçao-born Martina, who speaks five languages. “‘Tío’ means ‘uncle’ in Spanish, and I call him that because he’s such a lovable guy — funny, warm, and he just has that fun-uncle energy.”
Online Fandom Fuels Print Success
Pedro’s inventive red carpet dressing has led to a never ending stream of memes, like one comparing him to birds. The result of his body of work and his, erm, body wearing clothes, has grown a large and robust online fandom. The subreddit dedicated to him is top 3% on the platform size-wise, with 39K followers. (Tagline: “And we thirst, respectfully.”) This rabid fandom, which hoovers up any information about Pedro, inspired the bookazines.
“We pick stars who have a very devoted fan base, and that helps in terms of selling them,” says Guiltenane, noting the many and varied Instagram and TikTok fan accounts. “He's got this amazing following who hang off every word he says.” He interviewed four fans, including the proprietor of the disconcertedly-named Stains of Pascal, to “create a sense of community” in the magazine.
LaMay, from the Pedro + pups fan account, says the biggest demographic groups who visit her page are women in the 35- to 44- and 45- to 54-year-old age groups. (LeMay says she wouldn’t personally buy the bookazine, though, as she bought enough NKOTB Joey McIntyre print merch in her teens.) She also appreciates that Pedro’s Gen X “cultural touchstones,” which he talks about often (Flashdance! Pet Shop Boys!), are also ours.
As Martina attests, Gen Z loves him, too. Please don’t ask us to try to explain what “babygirl” means, though, and whether you can also be a simultaneous “daddy.” But they are responsible for giving him that designation.
However, Pedro’s charms transcend generations.
“His rugged looks, his age appropriate roles, and his movies show a level of maturity, and he also represents an alternative to the stereotypical leading man, which is good,” says LaMay. “He's significantly contributed to the Latino representation in Hollywood, which I respect.”
We also appreciate Pedro’s vocal social justice efforts, often shared on his Instagram; support of representation in Hollywood and beyond; and pure love for his family. Plus, he just has such an endearing self-deprecating sense of humor.
“Of course, I also admire his acting, his kindness, and his accent, but his humor stands out the most to me,” says Martina. Pedro brings the warm giggles and snort laughs, whether teaching us Spanish slang or teasing Denzel Washington about having tea with his wife.
Ragolia, who first met Pedro during his “GoT” days also confirms that he is a delight to be around. “Pedro, indeed, is as fun and kind as he seems, and we have a regular banter about clothes and ideas as they inspire us,” she says.
“As opposed to writing about people who don't necessarily deserve to have plaudits, he seems to be a very good man,” says Guiltenane. “I think we're all lucky to have him in our lives in some way.”
And that apparently sells on newsstands.
For much less than the cost of all 3 Pedro bookazines, please consider supporting us and upgrading your subscription here (even though we know you’d rather have 3 Pedros):
This!!!! Is a perfect newsletter. Thank you both!
Brilliant! This incredibly detailed walk through Pedro's life n times is destined to become canon.