Why The Female Gaze Crowns Pedro Pascal Its King

In case you hadn’t noticed; Pedro Pascal is so hot right now. Fresh off a never-ending series of hit shows he’s made a significant impact on like: Game of Thrones, Narcos, The Last Of Us, and The Mandalorian, Pedro seems to be everywhere. His tired, lived-in face with its kind and caring eyes seems to be a mandatory these days for a TV show to make any sort of impact on society as a whole.

But for all of Pedro’s impressive successes onscreen, it’s outside of the confines of the small screen where he’s really blowing up – with his personable style, goofy charm, and older unmanicured looks making him Girl World’s internet boyfriend, meme king and unexpected fashion icon all rolled into one.

Of course Girl World has gone ape for actors before; Timothée Chalamet, Johnny Depp, Clark Gable, all the way back to Rudolph Valentino to name but a few. Hollywood survives up until today largely because of it all. But the sheer volume and ferocity of the current female fan fanaticism for Pedro right now seems like a whole new level has been reached. This isn’t just lusting for Brad Pitt’s abs or an admiration for Burt Reynolds’ cheeky charm, Girl World is nothing less than obsessed with Pedro Pascal – and they’ll fight you for him! Especially online.

The Daddy Is Dadding

Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of Pedro’s fandom is its intensity. For every ‘OMG, so hot! Swoon.’ Justin Bieber got a decade ago – a photo of Pedro holding a baby or just leaning against a wall looking tired gets ten ‘Protect this man at all costs!’, ‘I would let that man step on my neck’ or ‘he could ruin my life and I’d say thanks’. Plus, every comment with less than 100% pure adulation gets a ‘FIGHT ME!’ response.

Woo… okay… Sure, it’s hyperbole and that’s part of the joke. Sort of. Hopefully!

Who’s your Zaddy?

One Girl World online phrase that has become almost synonymous with Pedro is ‘Zaddy’ a portmanteau of ‘daddy’ with, allegedly, ‘zest’. Which is really just a natty way of describing a cool older guy who’s suave, sophisticated and dominant like a sugar daddy – but who also contains a thread of a kind of dorky more human aspect to their character that takes them beyond the Daniel Craigs and George Clooneys of this world. Jeff Goldblum and Idris Elba have always had this vibe too but Pedro Pascal has it in spades.

Unlike most actors – and their agents – who jealously curate an image to match the data printout they’ve been given by research companies detailing what this particular market sector relates to, Pedro is just himself. All the time. This means being extremely – for the Anglosphere – emotional to the point of crying easily and multiple times in interviews. But when did you ever see previous cinema he-men like Charles Bronson, Steve McQueen or John Wayne cry? Ever? Either on-screen or off?

Pedro is also completely open to not looking ‘cool’, ie; no leather jackets and sunglasses after dark for him. He’d rather talk about his mum and/or sister to anyone who’ll listen than wah on about Tyler, The Creator’s latest collab drop or what he saw in Yorgos Lanthimos’s secret pre-screening in Cannes. He’s also completely happy to wear dicky clothes and pose in unusual – read ‘goofy’ – positions in promotional shoots. Normally this is the kind of territory only populated by big name physical comedy practitioners like Will Ferrell and Jim Carrey. Not now – it’s Zaddy Time, girlfriend.

The Apex Of Masculinity

In Guy World, all of this genuineness would make Pedro the weird guy in your Pub Quiz team, the fellow you kind of like but don’t want to get left alone with in case people think you’re best mates. Nice guy but a bit wet, so I don’t want him to cramp my style…

But in Girl World: It. Is. A. Whole. Different. Story.

For them, Pedro Pascal is the apex of masculinity. As AI and social media filters have created such an artificially perfect world that frankly, none of us can live up to, these women have rebelled from the ‘ideal man’ delivered to them hourly via Netflix, TikTok, Paramount and even Temu. Instead they’ve gone for authenticity over prettiness.

But why?

But, Pedro Doesn’t Really Look The Part!

It may just be me but a couple of decades ago when Brad Pitt and George Clooney were the strutting roosters of the yard, I could understand their appeal to women. Brad was straight out pretty while George, though a touch older, was debonair and stylish with a charming voice and persona. So whenever the girls went ape for either or both back then, I just shrugged my shoulders, muttered a bitter curse to the gods and loaded another PlayStation game alone in my bedroom.

But Pedro Pascal’s appeal to today’s females isn’t as obvious to me. He just seems old, tired and looks a little raddled to be honest. What am I missing here?

Seeing Men Through The Female Gaze

The thing is; unlike us, women don’t just go on looks so there’s no straight out equivalent of ‘she looks awesome in that bikini, I’m in love!’ They take in a variety of factors – including looks – that are packaged up together into something called ‘The Female Gaze’.

It’s been around forever but has only been called that in recent times since film academic and general all-round tedious spoilsport Laura Mulvey complained about a ‘male gaze’ in movies and ads. This lemon-sucking Laura griped that women were often shown in such media through a heterosexual male lens focusing on the visual pleasure of their curves, lips, legs and lingerie. Duh! Why do you think we were watching in the first place, lady?

Anyway, this ‘male gaze’ concept naturally led to an understanding of what the opposing female gaze was – and, surprise surprise, it wasn’t just a straight out role reversal. Instead, women have a list of demands on how they want to feel when looking at a hot guy. This includes:

Feeling safe, not threatened

Being seen, not ignored

Feeling protected, not dominated

Being desired, not objectified

Taking this Female Gaze into account, it becomes a lot easier to understand Pedro Pascal’s massive appeal. So whilst men see a rugged, lined, weary-looking older guy who isn’t particularly buff or classically good-looking, women observe him in a completely different light. Largely thanks to the roles he’s played, the ladies see Pedro as a font of warmth, kindness, and protectiveness.
Unlike male-friendly heroes who are tough and eager to fight for what is right, Pedro’s characters in everything from The Mandalorian to The Last of Us, are guys who are all about sacrifice. They’ll fight if they have to but it’s to protect their (found) families rather than to destroy for the sake of it. This is obviously a massive turn-on for women and transforms a weary lived-in face into a beacon of comfort and support.

Why Pedro And Not Others?

But still! There are a couple of other actors out there that intersect with some of Pedro’s attributes; moral and protective strength. So why Pedro Pascal and not, say, Adam Driver or Alan Ritchson?
Though Driver is not classically handsome either, he likewise is unafraid to show the full range of emotions in his roles including that most unmacho one of all: tears. As Jude in Hungry Hearts, Driver demonstrated a man cracking under the weight of paternal responsibility and fear, revealing deep vulnerability. As Charlie Barber in Marriage Story he cried, raged and begged in ways most male leads just wouldn’t.

As Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson is the ultimate protecting force, with a moral compass that doesn’t deviate one degree from true north. Women, children and the downtrodden couldn’t possibly be any safer with Alan around.

How come women don’t get the same Pedro feels for Adam or Alan?

That’s because Pedro combines traits neither Driver nor Ritchson fully capture: He is protective like Ritchson but without the comic-book exaggeration. And he carries emotional darkness like Driver but channels it into nurturing warmth rather than threatening volatility. There’s also kind of a grounded humanity to Pedro that makes him feel both aspirational and attainable. He looks like a man who would guard you from danger, but who will also sit with you through heartbreak, listen, and make you laugh when you need it most.
It may be yeerck to us, but it’s this combination of strength, kindness, and emotional intelligence that has made him not just the internet’s favourite zaddy, but arguably the most beloved leading man of the moment.

The Last Of Us

The real driver behind all this, frankly, psycho-level worship of Pedro Pascal by Girl World is much more than just him being unique – they’re saying his very existence as a global icon is of crucial importance. And they’re not wrong. In an age where AI imaging, social media filters, non-stop political/corporate gaslighting and even the emergence of perfect-looking human robots rolling off the production line is endemic – Pedro Pascal’s natural imperfections are all the more necessary. His kindness, empathy and lack of interest for anything certified ‘cool’ by the ‘in’ crowd is a timely reminder of who we once used to be. We should join Girl World in enjoying Pedro Pascal’s inherently human attributes while we still can. The way things are going, we may not get that chance for much longer.