How a Lemonade Stand Led Pedro Pascal to Marvel's THE FANTASTIC FOUR Role
Actor Pedro Pascal has skyrocketed to fame over the last few years with roles in The Last of Us, The Mandalorian, and Gladiator II, but he’s about to cross into another popular genre with this summer’s Marvel blockbuster, The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Pascal auditioned for the lead role of Reed Richards aka Mister Fantastic a few years ago now, and while he was excited about the project, he didn’t feel confident that he was right for the role. But then something kind of kismet happened.
Pascal explained to Entertainment Weekly that he was giving advice to Gladiator 2 co-star Joseph Quinn about the Human Torch casting process when the fates aligned:
"It was a big strange thing that I hadn't planned on happening. It changed the course of my life in a very sudden way, so I really had to process. I went on a walk with one of my best friends, and while I was talking about it, this charming little girl very aggressively started to sell me lemonade from a lemonade stand.
“I was so charmed when I heard this voice saying, 'What are you doing here?' I look up, and it's Matt Shakman. It's his daughter! Literally the Sunday after he and I had met to talk about the project.
“And I had literally just been discussing, 'This is not what I expected to happen, but I think I have to do it.' Then this happened, and as we walked away with our lemonade, my friend said, 'I guess you're doing it!'"
It all just seemed meant to be! Pascal signed on, and the rest is history. I am so excited about this movie! I love the casting and what I’ve seen from the film so far. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is set to be released on July 25, 2025.