Pedro Pascal, the “cool, slutty daddy” of Hollywood, has been on a roll lately with his impressive acting range. From playing the lovable rogue in Disney+’s Star Wars series The Mandalorian, to starring as the gritty survivor Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us, Pascal’s talent has made him a household name.
But the actor’s latest project is perhaps his most intriguing yet. In Pedro Almodóvar’s queer western film Strange Way of Life, Pascal stars as a gunslinging cowboy named Silva, who sets out on horseback across the desert to find his old friend and sheriff, Jake, played by Ethan Hawke.
What’s refreshing about this film is that it lives up to its billing as a “queer” western, with the trailer featuring several intimate scenes between Pascal and Hawke’s characters. There’s a tender neck smooch, as well as a later scene where Pascal tends to his lover’s wounds.
The trailer also shows that there is some unresolved tension between the two characters, which adds an extra layer of complexity to their relationship. In one scene, Pascal tells Hawke, “You never loved me, you’ve never loved anyone in your life,” to which Hawke responds by pulling out a gun.
As the trailer draws to a close, Pascal says to Hawke, “Years ago you asked me what two men could do, living together on a ranch. I’ll answer you now.” This line, delivered with Pascal’s trademark intensity, promises to be one of the film’s standout moments.
Overall, Strange Way of Life looks like it will be a must-watch for fans of both Pascal and the Western genre. The film’s inclusion of queer themes and relationships adds an important dimension to a typically masculine genre, and promises to be a thought-provoking exploration of love, loyalty, and betrayal.
While no official release date has been announced yet, the fact that the film has been selected for the Cannes Film Festival is a promising sign that it will be hitting screens sooner rather than later. We can’t wait to see what kind of magic Pascal and Hawke will create on screen together.
