THE DIARY 10: Pedro Pascal - The Latest of Us

Photograph by Mr Paul Wetherell via MR PORTER The Journal

A few weeks ago, when Pedro Pascal hosted Saturday Night Live, his opening monologue set off a social media frenzy in Chile, his original country (and, as a matter of fact, mine.) The star of HBO’s mega-hit, “The Last of Us,” talked about how his parents fled Pinochet’s dictatorship in the 70’s and built a new life in the United States, giving him now the opportunity to be there, in front of millions, hosting the most popular comedy show in the planet. Many in Chile expressed love, pride and admiration for the actor, though, in the deeply divided times we live in, there are also comments criticizing him as a “leftist who enjoys the fruits of capitalism.” One way or another, his is a perfect Hollywood story; the charming immigrant that after years of hardship (yes, he was a waiter in New York) finally gets the shiniest trophies of the American dream: success and celebrity.

In interviews, Pascal has talked about the fear he felt as a kid visiting his extended family in Chile, where his 34 cousins - that’s right, 34! - seemed to have a “normal” life in a place where he could spend beautiful summers by the beach, but his parents could not set a foot in fearing for their lives. Exile was one of the many tools Pinochet used during his 17-year regime to keep enemies afar. In a tragic twist, Pascal’s mother, Victoria died of suicide shortly after she and her husband, José, went back to live in their country. Pedro, then 24, was in the early stages of what will become a spectacular career in film and TV, with starring roles in “Game of Thrones”, “Wonder Woman 1984”, “The Mandalorian” and “Kingsman, the Golden Circle.”

The many angles of Pascal’s story will sound familiar to anyone who, for any reason, has looked to create a life far from home, in a different place, in a different country. Immigration, a word that over a century ago used to have an air of possibility and optimism, has become a politically charged issue and a humanitarian crisis that forces the displacement of millions of people fleeing war, violence, and economic or environmental catastrophe. The fact that Pascal mentioned Pinochet and his parents’ story in his monologue reveals that maybe, not even growing up as a regular California kid in California was enough to erase the scars of a forced migration.

Pedro Pascal hosting Saturday Night Live, Credit NBC via Getty Images

Pedro and his father via @pascalispunk on Instagram

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“I’ve gone back my whole life,” says Pascal of visiting his home country and family. “Everything is very normal in their lives. I feel a profound sense of gratitude and luck for that, and an incredible mourning for such an unjust and horrifying chapter that is still not given its due and just recognition.”

- Pedro Pascal in TIME American Voices, Kara Warner
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Pedro Pascal in The Last of Us, HBO, Photograph by Liane Hentscher

Pedro Pascal on Saturday Night Live, Credit NBC