logo
Pedro Pascal reveals he was ‘appalled' by his looks in blockbuster film: ‘Never gone back'

Pedro Pascal reveals he was ‘appalled' by his looks in blockbuster film: ‘Never gone back'

News.com.au2 days ago
Pedro Pascal has revealed he was 'appalled' by the way he looked in one of his blockbuster movies.
The Hollywood heart-throb, 50, made the confession during LADbible's Agree to Disagree video series, saying he 'strongly disagreed' with his clean-shaven appearance in 2020's Wonder Woman 1984.
In the Gal Gadot-led film, Pascal cut a very different figure to his usual shaggy aesthetic, rocking a beard-free face and a blonde wig to portray Maxwell Lord.
'I grow such shit facial hair, but if I were to shave it all off … I really look very [awful]. Strongly disagree with a clean shaven me,' Pascal said amid promotion for Marvel's upcoming The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
'I was so appalled by the way I look in Wonder Woman 1984. I loved the movie, but I was so appalled by the way that I looked that I never have gone back unless it were completely necessary.
'If they asked me to be clean shave for Fantastic Four and insisted, then I would've done it. But it was a very collaborative creation for all of our looks in the movie.'
Pascal was, indeed, able to keep his signature moustache to fill the shoes of comic book hero Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in the latest MCU offering, despite the character being clean-shaven in the comics.
The Last Of Us star told Vanity Fair in June he was acutely aware of fan complaints when he was cast in the highly-anticipated role.
'I'm more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I've ever done. 'He's too old. He's not right. He needs to shave',' Pascal said.
Early reviews, however, have been in his favour, with promising critical reception to his performance and the film in general.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps officially hits cinemas in Australia July 24.
Meanwhile, Pascal is already set to reprise the role in next year's Avengers: Doomsday, which will see the return of Marvel legend Robert Downey Jr. as a new character, Doctor Doom, after Tony Stark/Iron Man died in 2019's Endgame.
Pascal and Downey Jr. are joined by a star-studded cast for the film, which is currently in production, including Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Captain America, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier and Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Fantastic Four: First Steps has a slick 60s look but is missing some heart
Fantastic Four: First Steps has a slick 60s look but is missing some heart

ABC News

timean hour ago

  • ABC News

Fantastic Four: First Steps has a slick 60s look but is missing some heart

Nowadays, it is not enough for superheroes to merely save the world — they must also shoulder the responsibility of reviving a moribund, multi-billion-dollar genre. For those of us still counting, Fantastic Four: First Steps is the 37th film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the beginning of its sixth "phase", though no one seems to know what these arbitrary groupings mean anymore. What: A team of brilliant super-powered scientists must save the world from a planet-eating threat Starring: Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, Ebon Moss-Bachrach Directed by: Matt Shakman Where: In cinemas now Likely to make you feel: Not particularly optimistic What is clear is that, like this month's reintroduction of Superman, Fantastic Four is keen to wipe the slate clean for a broader mega-franchise that has become encumbered by behind-the-scenes catastrophes and dwindling box-office returns. To that extent, both films hark back to old-school heroics with a gleaming earnestness and forgo overplayed origin stories to drop audiences into their heroes' early careers as they face their first major setback. First Steps goes the extra mile by jumping over to a utopia-type dimension running parallel to the ongoing MCU continuity, and winding back the clock to the 1960s. It is a world that beckons to be explored, and the film's greatest triumph (courtesy of production designer Kasra Farahani): a space-age fantasia of monorails, tube TVs and flying cars sculpted with soft curves and bursting with playful colours. Here, the Fantastic Four are not just the only superheroes who exist — they are a team of brilliant astronauts who have become the world's primary governing body in the four years since an errant interstellar expedition exposed them to performance-enhancing cosmic rays. That freak encounter stretched intractable alpha genius Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal, The Last of Us) into a plasticine shape-shifter; his wife, Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby, Mission: Impossible), was endowed with invisibility and force field projection; her brazen younger brother Johnny (Joseph Quinn, Stranger Things) became, well, a Human Torch; and Ben Grimm (Ebon Moss-Bachrach, The Bear) got the short end of the stick by irreversibly transforming into a sentient rock pile with a soft heart. In the film's opening scene, a flashing pregnancy test announces the newest member of the team: a super-powered son who has begun to gestate in Sue's womb. For Reed, already the de facto dad of the team, that joy rapidly dissolves into a deep anxiety over protecting a child in a world where underground mole people, city-levelling kaiju and red apes cause everyday havoc. He is the kind of man who can crack the code to faster-than-light travel on a blackboard, but would rather offload the emotional strain of crib-building to H.E.R.B.I.E., their accommodating droid assistant. Dad duties are temporarily put on hold when Julia Garner's (Inventing Anna) naked, chrome-dipped alien, the Silver Surfer (aka Shalla-Bal), rides into town on a wave of impending annihilation. Her planet-devouring master, Galactus (Ralph Ineson, The Witch), has chosen Earth as his next meal and is already on his way. "Use this time to rejoice and celebrate, for your time is short," she helpfully advises. The Fantastic Four venture into space to face this cosmic behemoth, only to discover that the apocalypse can indeed be averted — but at the cost of Sue's child. If I were being uncharitable, I would suggest that there was something vaguely regressive about a superhero film that was concerned with protecting the sanctity of the nuclear family, even if it put the whole world at risk. Later, it is revealed that Richards has installed a surveillance network across New York to neutralise local crime organisations, a way to "babyproof the world". It is a cute line that is unavoidably at odds with earlier superhero films like The Dark Knight and Avengers: Age of Ultron, which rightfully pointed out the kind of worrying implications embedded in this form of vigilantism. Like Superman, First Steps's rejection of the cynical, often deconstructionist tendencies of the 2010s's superhero results in an overt hostility towards our own reality. We are asked to relate to adult concerns about parenthood and relationships, but to ignore any awkward real-world parallels that can be inferred. It is the fundamental problem with turning serials and chintzy Saturday morning cartoons into megabudget events that rely on an adult fanbase: we can only take these films so seriously before the illusion of uncomplicated fun is ruined. For all its strides towards humanism, our four heroes find themselves left in the dust as the film zips through its disaster movie plot, often letting weeks fly by in hurried montages. Kirby is the only character who gets to actually emote, if only as a protective mother; the script only skirts by the edges of these characters, with the prickly edges of Pascal's over-protective, galaxy-brained dad feeling smoothed over. (If Pascal really has the makings of a traditional movie star, we are yet to see a film that proves it.) If only this film were enjoyable enough to warrant turning your brain off. Nice as it is to admire the interior design of a Marvel movie, director Matt Shakman (WandaVision) has few compelling ideas on how to shoot its physical sets and CGI extravaganzas. Save for a glimpse into Sue's unborn child, the team's powers are deployed without imagination and are subject to ropey digital effects. The arrival of Galactus in the film's finale plays out like a kaiju movie in slow-motion. The 60s sensibility is also ruined with thoroughly modern dialogue, riddled with the barrage of unfunny, off-brand Whedon banter that has become an unfortunate trademark of these films. Giacchino's whimsical score can only carry the tone so far, though even then, it's nowhere near the kind of jazzy, retrofuturist perfection of his work on The Incredibles (which, for the record, is still the best Fantastic Four film in existence). The Marvel Cinematic Universe will, one day, come to an end — not because there is a shortage of worthy ideas accessible from its source material, but because Disney's production-line approach to filmmaking gorges on comic book lore while spitting out idiosyncrasies. Fantastic Four: First Steps defies expectations of what a Marvel film can look and feel like — and in doing so, it proves just how little is really allowed to change.

Sacha Baron Cohen ‘only joking' over using Ozempic to transform body for Marvel role
Sacha Baron Cohen ‘only joking' over using Ozempic to transform body for Marvel role

Perth Now

time3 hours ago

  • Perth Now

Sacha Baron Cohen ‘only joking' over using Ozempic to transform body for Marvel role

Sacha Baron Cohen insists he was 'only joking' when he claimed to have used Ozempic to help achieve his new muscular physique for a Marvel role. The 53-year-old actor appeared on the cover of Men's Fitness UK this week, debuting his dramatic body transformation ahead of playing the villain Mephisto in Marvel's Ironheart miniseries. Alongside images from the shoot, Sacha posted on Instagram: 'Some celebs use Ozempic, some use private chefs, some use personal trainers. I did all three.' He added: 'This is not AI. I really am egotistical enough to do this. Debuting my new character. Middle aged man who replaced beer with protein shakes.' Sacha also thanked his trainer Alfonso Moretti, writing: 'Thanks @theangrytrainer for doing the unthinkable – putting up with me for 25 minutes a day.' However, after the post prompted widespread speculation and some backlash, representatives for Sacha have told MailOnline he 'was only joking' about using Ozempic. They added that the transformation was entirely the result of 'hard work'. Speaking to Men's Fitness UK, Sacha said he had only three weeks to get into superhero shape and credited Alfonso, also known as 'The Angry Trainer', with designing a focused programme of short daily workouts and strict nutrition. Sacha said: '25-minute workouts that were sustainable. Even while filming, the workouts happened. 'In the past, I would've thought you needed hour-long sessions.' He said the plan included 100 push-ups a day and a diet high in fibre and protein, with minimal sugar. At the start of training, Alfonso reportedly told Sacha he had 'the core strength of an arthritic jellyfish' but praised his consistency. Within two weeks, Marvel's costume department reportedly spent $5,000 (£3,600) making adjustments to his wardrobe due to changes in his physique. Sacha revealed he reached out to actor Matthew McConaughey for a trainer recommendation, which led him to Alfonso. Their first meeting was via FaceTime, during which the trainer asked Sacha to strip to his underwear so he could assess his body. Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige recently confirmed Sacha will portray Mephisto – a demonic entity who appears in the Ironheart series, and who has long been rumoured to be joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Sacha rose to prominence in the late 1990s with his Ali G character, followed by major roles in Borat, Brüno, and The Dictator.

Riding a superhero high, Hollywood's marketing machine roars back to life
Riding a superhero high, Hollywood's marketing machine roars back to life

Sydney Morning Herald

time5 hours ago

  • Sydney Morning Herald

Riding a superhero high, Hollywood's marketing machine roars back to life

A Marvel superhero, a Pokémon and a Dalek walk into a bar ... bad joke, or billion-dollar marketing windfall? Hollywood's film and television studios are banking on the latter as almost 200,000 people descend on San Diego for the world's biggest annual Comic-Con. With somewhere close to 150,000 visitors expected through the turnstiles over 4½ days– everyone from families to pop culture diehards – and tens of thousands more people around the city, the mood board says Batman, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, but the studio accountants have their eyes on the bottom line. San Diego Comic-Con was born a comic-book convention in the old-fashioned sense: vendors, in a convention centre basement, buying and selling comic books. But in recent decades it has become the backbone of Hollywood's film and TV marketing calendar. In 2025, however, the intersection of commerce, fandom and marketing is at a bit of a crossroads. Spider-Man, Star Trek, Doctor Who and retail brands such as Lego, Hasbro and Funko are here with bells on, but some of the biggest labels, including Star Wars and the wider DC Studios and Marvel Studios brands, are missing. That said, the absence of the majors has the knock-on effect of lending oxygen to projects and brands that might struggle otherwise to get air at a convention where top-tier schedule clashes are the norm. Alien: Earth and Predator: Badlands, surfing off the back of Alien: Romulus and the Predator show Prey, are staging panels in the convention's iconic Hall H, the main stage where the biggest and best of Comic-Con get to show their wares. Hall H is also playing host to a Star Trek Universe panel, which is expected to feature the much-loved Strange New Worlds, which just kicked off its third season, and the coming series Starfleet Academy. Another panel, for Dexter: Resurrection, will feature Michael C. Hall. Three other Hall H biggies: Project Hail Mary, from directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and featuring Ryan Gosling, Peacemaker, which will feature director James Gunn and star John Cena, and a panel unveiling the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art, which will feature Star Wars creator George Lucas himself.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store