Pedro Pascal received high praise from several co-stars in a recent Vanity Fair cover story, with Robert Downey Jr. standing out as one of his biggest supporters. The two actors are set to face off in the upcoming Marvel film Avengers: Doomsday, currently filming this summer at Pinewood Studios in the U.K., ahead of its December 2026 release.
On set, Downey and Pascal have developed a close bond, with Downey hosting “homework days” at his home for the cast to presumably rehearse and refine scenes together. When asked what happens during these sessions, Pascal playfully replied, “Very good question,” leaving fans curious about the details.
Robert Downey Jr. takes on a dramatic new role as the villain Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday, marking a major departure from his longtime Marvel role as Iron Man. Meanwhile, Pedro Pascal returns as Reed Richards, reprising his character from the Fantastic Four universe. Pascal made his Marvel debut earlier this year in July’s Fantastic Four: First Steps.
“Pascal’s slow rise to becoming a household name and his current hot streak really reaffirms my faith in our industry,” Robert Downey Jr. told Vanity Fair about his co-star and friend.
Pascal returned the praise, saying of Downey, “He’s just so immediately generous and inviting that you feel like you can be afraid, you can be hungry, you can be ambivalent.” Pascal also acknowledged the criticism he faced over his casting as Reed Richards, with some saying, “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.” During those challenging moments, he leaned on Downey’s support and stayed committed to his Marvel role.
“He doesn’t have much armor, so he shows himself to you straight away, and you trust that person because he’s revealing himself to you in this very brave way,” added Vanessa Kirby, Pascal’s Fantastic Four co-star.
Other co-stars featured in Pedro Pascal’s Vanity Fair cover story include Bella Ramsey, who grew close to Pascal while working together on HBO’s The Last of Us. Ramsey told the magazine she dislikes the “daddy” label that’s widely associated with Pascal on social media. Despite this, Pascal has embraced the nickname, famously saying in a 2022 Vanity Fair video interview, “Daddy is a state of mind. I’m your daddy.”
“I felt worried for him,” Bella Ramsey said. “I want to protect him from that whole joke of becoming the internet’s daddy. I was like, ‘I don’t want everyone to refer to you as that and see you as that. You’re so much more.’”
You can read Pedro Pascal’s full cover story now on Vanity Fair’s website.
