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Internet zaddy Pedro Pascal addresses the casting backlash in Fantastic Four over his age: ‘Comes with the territory’
At 50, Pedro Pascal is the oldest actor to play the stretchy superhero, following portrayals by Ioan Gruffudd, Miles Teller, and John Krasinski.
Hollywood star Pedro Pascal is embracing the pressure—and the scrutiny—that comes with stepping into the Marvel Universe. Cast as Reed Richards, also known as Mister Fantastic, in the upcoming Fantastic Four: First Steps, the 50-year-old actor has found himself at the center of online debate. Some fans expressed disappointment over his age, arguing he might be too old for the role.
Though Pedro said he typically ignores noise about his appearance, he recently opened up about how the criticism surrounding this particular casting affected him more than usual. Speaking to AP News at a fan event in London, he admitted, “I think that sometimes the outside will find you no matter how much you try to protect yourself from it, and it just comes with the territory.”
Reflecting on the fan response, he continued, “I think maybe my nerves were bigger than they usually are, and so I think I just was a little bit more sensitive to the love that people have for stories like this, because I know that they wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the love that people have for these characters.”
Pedro is the latest in a line of actors to take on the role of Reed Richards. Ioan Gruffudd played the character in the 2005 and 2007 Fantastic Four films, followed by Miles Teller in the 2015 reboot. John Krasinski briefly appeared as an alternate version of Reed in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022). At 50, Pedro is the oldest actor to portray the character—Ioan, Miles, and John were 31, 28, and 42, respectively, during their portrayals.
Despite the scrutiny, Pedro remains committed to doing justice to the role. “I think that it’s very important for me that expectations be fulfilled. But I also know that the only way to do that is to give it all my focus and all my heart and my body and my soul, and so that was the best I could do,” he said.
Set in a retro-futuristic version of the 1960s in an alternate universe, Fantastic Four: First Steps will introduce Marvel’s First Family into the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe. Alongside Pedro, the film stars Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. Julia Garner and Ralph Ineson will appear as the Silver Surfer and Galactus, respectively. Robert Downey Jr. is also set to return as Doctor Doom in future installments.
