Pedro Pascal is having a blast being the internet's "daddy" — that is, an older man whom fans find completely swoonworthy.
"Yeah, I am having fun with it," the Chilean American actor, 48, said of his fame during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable with several other A-list stars, including Jeff Bridges, Evan Peters and Kieran Culkin.
Pascal said he believed he's earned the "daddy" honorific because he's played several father figures on screen.
“(The daddy thing) seems a little role-related, I think. There was a period where the Mandalorian is very daddy to baby Grogu. Joel is very daddy to Ellie. These are daddy parts. That’s what it is,” he explained.
Bridges then interjected, “Are you a daddy?”
“I’m not a daddy,” Pascal responded, adding, “And I’m not going to bea daddy!”
In recent years, Pascal has played several benevolent characters who look out for those younger than him.
Whether it's smuggler Joel protecting immune teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) in a pandemic-strapped U.S. in HBO's post-apocalyptic drama "The Last of Us," or bounty hunter Din Djarin traveling the galaxy to be sure Grogu is safe in the Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," Pascal has become a role model for masculine men who aren't afraid to show their tender side to those in need.
But as Culkin pointed out, a lot of real Hollywood dads don't inspire the same level of daddy fandom that Pascal does.
"I’m a daddy. Nobody likesmydaddy parts," the “Succession” star joked during the roundtable.
"What did you just say?" responded Pascal, laughing. "'Nobody likes my daddy parts'?"
"They likeyourdaddy parts," said Culkin as the table erupted in laughter.
It's not the first time Pascal has addressed his daddy status.
"I’m still trying to figure it out," Pascal said of his fans' ardor during a visit to "The Graham Norton Show" in February. "I feel like it changes. There’s zaddy, there’s daddy."
"I'll take it all," he jokingly added.
Gina Vivinetto is a writer forTODAY.com.
