Pedro Pascal tells Bella Ramsey heartbreaking reason for his signature red carpet pose

Bella Ramsey Pedro Pascal

Pedro Pascal, official daddy of the entire internet and all our hearts, has revealed the real reason why he’s so often photographed in a certain pose at red carpet events. 

Although he’s been a staple on screens in smaller roles for at least two decades, the Chilean-American actor captured the zeitgeist with his star turn as Joel in HBO’s post-apocalyptic fungal thriller The Last of Us and his performance as the title character of Disney’s The Mandalorian.  

Aside from his undeniable daddy energy, adorable cheekiness and unwavering support for the LGBTQ+ community, Pascal’s friendship and chemistry with his The Last of Us co-star and non-binary icon Bella Ramsey has warmed the hearts of fans around the world. 

And at a ‘For Your Consideration’ event for The Last of Us in Los Angeles last week, the pair shared another beautiful moment. 

Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal share another adorable moment together. (FilmMagic/FilmMagic for HBO)

While Pascal, 49, and Ramsey, 19, posed for photographers together, in footage captured by Deadline, Pascal can be heard explaining his signature hand-to-chest gesture on the red carpet to his co-star. 

When Ramsey notices Pascal pressing one hand to his chest, they lay their own hand briefly on top of his. Ramsey copies the gesture upon their own chest, and Pascal asks them: “You know why?” before explaining: “My anxiety is right here.”

The Narcos star performed the same gesture at the Met Gala on 1 May, where he sent the internet into meltdown with a scarlet and black outfit that highlighted his ““slutty little knees”.

It’s proof that shorts are absolutely Met Gala attire, when they’re worn by Pedro Pascal. 

Pedro Pascal and his ‘slutty little knee’ attend the 2023 Met Gala. (Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images)

He has repeated the hand-on-chest pose across numerous red carpet appearances, including the 95th Annual Academy Awards in March.

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The NHS defines anxiety as a “feeling of unease, such as worry or fear, that can be mild or severe”.

All of us will experience anxiety at one time or another, but if you feel anxious most days, about a wide range of situations and issues, and struggle to remember a time when you felt relaxed, this may be a sign of generalised anxiety disorder.

Anxiety symptoms are often felt in the chest and stomach. It can cause changes in heart rate, including a slow heart rate (bradycardia), fluttering or thudding heartbeat (palpitations) or an irregular heartbeat (skipping beats).

Pascal’s coping strategy looks similar to the ‘hand over heart’ technique which is recognised by psychotherapists as useful for coping with distress.

Pedro Pascal is starring in the queer western Strange Way of Life alongside Ethan Hawke, with the gay cowboy love story already dubbed “camp homo realness” by fans.

Strange Way of Life will receive its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival on 16 May, before heading to cinemas later this year. 

Readers affected by the issues raised in this story are encouraged to contact Mind on 0300 123 3393 (www.mind.org.uk) or Anxiety UK on 03444 775 774 (www.anxietyuk.org.uk). Readers in the US are encouraged to contact Crisis Support Services on 1-800-273-8255 (cssnv.org).

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