Cannes 2025: Pedro Pascal encourages artists to be defiant in the face of censorship
Speaking at a press conference at Cannes Festival to celebrate the release of the new psychological thriller Eddington, Pedro Pascal encouraged artists to resist unprecedented levels of censorship in the industry.
When asked to comment on the current climate in America and the potential for artists to be censored, Pascal was adamant there is still hope: “I think fear is the way that they win, so keep telling the stories and fighting and expressing yourself.”
He underlined his message of defiance: “And fuck the people that try to make you scared. Don’t let them win.”
This comes after the Gladiator II actor had a public disagreement with JK Rowling, who posted a picture on X looking smug in reaction to the news of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which equates a person’s biological sex with their gender. Pascal has been an adamant supporter of the transgender community, and here he called Rowling’s behaviour, “Awful disgusting SHIT is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior” in a comment on an Instagram video.
Pascal was asked for his perspective after Eddington filmmaker Ari Aster painted a bleak picture of America, which was what inspired the new movie. He said, “I feel like over the last 20 years we’ve fallen into this age of hyper-individualism. That social force that used to be central in liberal mass democracies, which is an agreed-upon version of the word, is gone now.”
The film is set during the COVID pandemic and revolves around post-truthism and hyper-individualism. The official synopsis for Eddington, per A24, reads: “In May of 2020, a standoff between a small-town sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and mayor (Pedro Pascal) sparks a powder keg as neighbor is pitted against neighbor in Eddington, New Mexico.”
Eddington’s cast also includes Emma Stone, Jaoquian Phoenix, Austin Butler, Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Michael Ward, Amélie Hoeferle, Clifton Collins Jr and William Belleau.
The highly anticipated movie is set to arrive in theatres on July 18th.
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