Actor Pedro Pascal has spoken out about the backlash he faced for joining the Marvel film The Fantastic Four: First Steps as Mister Fantastic aka Reed Richards. In a recent interview, the actor acknowledged the criticism, stating that he is indeed aware of the discontent surrounding his casting. Also read: Pedro Pascal to appear as Joel Miller again in The Last of Us season 3? Here’s the truth
Pedro Pascal addresses the backlash
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Pedro spoke about the initial backlash over his casting in the Marvel film and taking on the role of Reed Richards. He shared that he hasn’t seen the finished movie yet.
“I’m getting an inkling of excitement because it seems to reflect what our common goal was, and what we want to share, which is all of our f**king hearts on a platter within this genre. You just never know if people are going to be disgusted by your heart or not,” Pedro said.
The actor, who has featured in projects such as Mandalorian and The Last of Us, admitted that entering the Marvel universe has not been without jitters:
“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’,” he mentioned, adding that he is taking guidance from his Avenger friend Robert Downey Jr. According to Pedro, Robert is “just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent”.
About The Fantastic Four: First Steps
In April, Marvel released the first full-length trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps. The nearly three-minute clip gave fans a first look at Julia Garner’s mysterious Silver Surfer. Set to hit the theatres on July 25, the film marks the official introduction of the four-member superhero team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and its assets, including X-Men.
Apart from Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, the film also stars Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. Rounding out the cast are John Malkovich, Natasha Lyonne, and Sarah Niles.
The Fantastic Four will be up against the villain Galactus in the film. The Marvel film is produced by Kevin Feige and directed by Shakman, with executive producers Louis D’Esposito, Grant Curtis, and Tim Lewis behind the scenes.
