One added benefit of Pedro Pascal finding greater fame since his time on Game of Thrones is that fans are no longer trying to shove fingers into his eyes. On the series, Pascal had a small but memorable role as Oberyn Martell, a man who challenges the Gregor Clegane, aka the “Mountain” (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) to a trial by combat. The battle ends quite badly for Oberyn when the Mountain presses his thumbs into the man’s eyes before crushing his head completely.

Recently, Pascal took part in an actor roundtable discussion for The Hollywood Reporter alongside Kieran Culkin, Jeff Bridges, Michael Imperioli, Evan Peters, and Damson Idris. The actors were asked about fan interactions and which of their roles they get recognized form the most. Pascal recalled how his time on Game of Thrones led to eye-poking from fans as a reference to the Oberyn character’s demise, and at that time, the actor was just happy that fans were so excited his role on the show. However, as he goes on to reveal, it got to the point where he’d gotten an eye infection.
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“I remember early, because of Game of Thrones, and the way my character died… people were super into taking selfies with their thumbs in my eyes,” Pascal explained. “At first, I was so kind of earnest and happy about the success of the character in the show, and I would let them. In New York! Of all places. And then I remember getting a bit of an eye infection.”

Joking that this must be why Pascal most often is wearing his spectacles in public these days, Culkin joked, “Hence the glasses.”

Related: Pedro Pascal’s Best Movies and Series, Ranked by Rotten Tomatoes

Pedro Pascal Finds Greater Success

Warner Bros. Television 

Pascal’s role on Game of Thrones certainly stood out, though the actor is much more likely to be recognized for other roles he’s done since then. He made a big impact in the Star Wars universe as the titular character in The Mandalorian, which recently debuted its third season. Pascal also co-stars with Bella Ramsey in HBO’s hit series The Last of Us, which premiered earlier this year and has a second season in the works. Both of these shows are very popular and have given Pascal much more time to shine.

After his character’s death in Game of Thrones, the actor would take on a starring role in the crime drama series Narcos. Pascal would also appear in movies like Kingsman: The Golden Circle, The Equalizer 2, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. More recently, he co-starred with Ethan Hawke in Pedro Almodovar’s new short film Strange Way of Life, a romance movie set in the Old West that premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Meanwhile, it was recently reported that Pascal had been cast for a main role in the next horror film from Barbarian director Zach Creggers. He is also set to appear in the upcoming sequel to Gladiator that’s in the works.