Pedro Pascal tells Cannes to fight back against US political chaos
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Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix star in 'Eddington'
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Film explores tensions over COVID-19, race in 2020
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Director Ari Aster wanted to capture state of US
CANNES, France, - Pedro Pascal, star of indie director Ari Aster's new pandemic-era neo-Western "Eddington", said on Saturday that storytelling and self-expression were the perfect way to fight back against political turmoil in the United States.
"Fear is the way that they win, for one. And so keep telling the stories and keep expressing yourself and keep fighting to be who you are," the Chilean-born actor told journalists at the Cannes Film Festival the day after the film's premiere.
"Eddington" stars Pascal as a small-town mayor campaigning against a down-on-his-luck sheriff played by Joaquin Phoenix in a New Mexico town where tensions are simmering over COVID-19 mask policies and the Black Lives Matter protests.
"Dune: Part Two" star Austin Butler and Emma Stone of "La La Land" also star in the film set to hit U.S. theatres on July 18.
Pascal, known for his role in dystopian video-game adaptation "The Last of Us," added that it was "far too intimidating" for him to address a question about U.S. President Donald Trump's immigration policy.
"I'm not informed enough," Pascal said. "I want people to be safe and to be protected."
Trump has launched a crackdown on illegal immigration and has also detained and moved to deport some legal permanent U.S. residents. His policies have triggered a rash of lawsuits and protests.
Aster, who made his name with elevated horror films "Hereditary" and "Midsommar," said he wanted to capture how the U.S. felt during the pandemic, and now, with his latest film.
"It feels bad and I'm very worried," said the U.S. director.
"We're on a dangerous road and I feel like we're living through an experiment that is going, it's gone wrong."
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