Pedro Pascal Wanted to Go Full 1960s for Reed Richards in THE FANTASTIC FOUR but Marvel Pulled Him Back
Pedro Pascal is going full brainiac as Reed Richards in Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, but it turns out his vision for the character was way more era-specific than Marvel expected.
In a recent Vanity Fair interview, Pascal revealed that he tried giving Reed a classic mid-century flair, right down to a Transatlantic accent. Given the film’s alternate 1960s setting, it made perfect sense to him. he explained:
“They had to keep on pulling me back from a very Mid-Atlantic, early '60s kind of talk. They had a dialect coach that was sort of gonna help us into that kind of dialect. And I took to it so well… They were like, 'Uh, talk more like yourself.'”
Pascal didn’t exactly drop the idea overnight. He was deep in the headspace. He added:
“I had a hard time doing that because I was so into the era, which for me was something to step into so that it's different than what we've seen before. I think that what they've created is something that we haven't seen.”
They should’ve let Pascal run with it! That could have added an interesting detail. Regardless, he is joined in the film by Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm, Ralph Ineson as Galactus, and Julia Garner as Silver Surfer.
With WandaVision's Matt Shakman directing, and Pascal clearly invested in giving Reed Richards his own retro flavor, The Fantastic Four: First Steps is shaping up to be something distinct in the MCU.
“Set against the vibrant backdrop of a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world, The Fantastic Four: First Steps introduces Marvel's First Family—Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Ben Grimm/The Thing—as they face their most daunting challenge yet.
“Forced to balance their roles as heroes with the strength of their family bond, they must defend Earth from a ravenous space god called Galactus (Ralph Ineson) and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer (Julia Garner). And if Galactus' plan to devour the entire planet and everyone on it weren't bad enough, it suddenly gets very personal.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps in theaters on July 25, 2025.