‘Last of Us’ Star Shuts Down Trump Question at Cannes Q&A On His ‘MAGA Culture’ Film
Actor Pedro Pascal avoided getting too specific in answering questions on President Donald Trump’s immigration policies as his new film debuted, a satire critics say holds no punches in “skewering the MAGA movement,” though he strongly condemned the politics of “fear” in the United States.
Pascal, known for his roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, stars in Eddington, the new Ari Aster-directed movie which made its debut this week at the Cannes Film Festival. The film follows a standoff between a New Mexico sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) and a mayor (Pascal) in a small town where neighbors are pitted against each other.
Variety said the film does not “shy away from skewering the MAGA movement.” Deadline said the film focused on unpacking “MAGA culture.”
During the movie’s panel, Pascal did address the politics of “fear” under Trump, but he avoided a question specifically related to immigration, saying he was “too afraid” to answer both because he feels “uninformed” and because it’s “scary” to participate in a film and be directly addressing political issues.
Pascal was asked about Latin migrants “living in the shadows” amid the current administration’s deportation policies and whether the United States is becoming a “closed country to the world.”
He said:
Obviously, it’s very scary for an actor who participated in a movie to sort of speak to issues like this. It’s far too intimidating the question for me to really address, I’m not informed enough. I want people to be safe and to be protected, and I want very much to live on the right of history. I’m an immigrant. My parents are refugees from Chile. We fled a dictatorship, and I was privileged enough to grow up in the U.S. after asylum in Denmark. If it weren’t for that, I don’t know what would have happened to us. I stand by those protections. I’m too afraid of your question, I hardly remember what it was.
During the panel, Pascal declared, “Fuck the people who try to make you scared,” when discussing the state of politics in the United States and whether participating in “brave” movies could lead to blowback within the US, possibly from the government.
“So keep telling the stories, keep expressing yourself and keep fighting to be who you are,” he said. “Fuck the people that try to make you scared, you know? And fight back. This is the perfect way to do so in telling stories. And don’t let them win.”
Watch above via Variety.
