Pedro Pascal Says ‘I’m More Aware’ of Backlash Over ‘Fantastic Four’ Casting ‘Than Anything I’ve Ever Done’: ‘He’s Too Old. He’s Not Right. He Needs to Shave’

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/pedro-pascal-fantastic-four-casting-backlash-marvel-1236440056/

49 comments

  1. > “I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done,” Pascal said about playing Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in “The Fantastic Four: The First Steps,” arriving in theaters next month. Pascal said the regular complaints he hears are as follows: “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.”

  2. All I’m saying is, they should’ve gotten an actor with actual stretchy powers instead of a normal actor with CGI🤷‍♂️

  5. I have not been so quick to pass judgement after the whole Heath Ledger/Joker casting. Originally, everyone thought that was a bad move and it turned out to be brilliant. As long as it doesn’t suck, I don’t give a shit what kind of facial furniture he has, what his age may be or what his ethnicity is. Just make a good Fantastic Four movie and I’m fully on board with whatever.

  6. The only complaint I’ve heard repeatedly is about his mustache.

    Honestly, Pedro = Mustache, it’s like Tom Selleck. They don’t look ugly without the mustache, but it’s just weird 😀

  7. He seems fine

    I think this is invented “backlash” for marketing

  8. Pedro if you pass on a role it’s not gonna be the end of the world.

  10. “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.” Where have I heard that before…

  11. He doesn’t look like the comic character. Straight up

  12. The only issue I saw was that Reed Richards’ character is very egotistical and at times an unlikable personality, whereas Pedro is such a sweet & charming man, I couldn’t really see him playing an unlikable character like Richards.

  13. This press and marketing strategy aims to downplay valid critiques ahead of the release. Pedro Pascal is a talented actor and a great person, but he simply isn’t right for the character of Reed Richards. His casting is driven by current market and media trends rather than his suitability for the role. This is not hate. This is just a fact, and it is how studios like Disney operate.

    Disney and Marvel (as of late) prioritize profits over the integrity of their characters and stories. (This should be painfully clear to audiences by now.) Articles like this are a sort of “damage control” attempting to nudge our perceptions and make us feel guilty about legitimate critiques.

    It is well known Disney/Marvel needs to slow WAY down…and get back to quality and the integrity of story and characters we love, rather than carpet bombing the box office with insultingly mediocre content. Even [Kevin Feige himself](https://www.gamesradar.com/entertainment/marvel-movies/marvel-boss-kevin-feige-reportedly-feels-that-recent-mcu-shows-and-movies-feel-more-like-homework-than-entertainment/) is excruciatingly aware of this dynamic.

  14. I don’t think I’ve heard a single person say Pedro is too old. The facial hair is an issue though. Reed Richards is clean shaven and the story takes place in the 60’s when facial hair was not really in style. The mustache would be acceptable in that era but the patchy stubble, absolutely not. And I think the biggest issue with it is that it’s an arbitrary choice that just invites criticism. Pedro doesn’t need to look the same in every role he plays and if he isn’t willing to shave for the role, then why cast him at all? He’s a talented actor but he’s not the only one in Hollywood. 

  15. The only real issue might be his age if this iteration of F4 will be the mainstay one and will be featured heavily post Doomsday movies.

    But I suspect there’ll be a reboot afterwards and the main continuity F4 will be a new iteration with a younger Reed.

  16. Comics: Ewww. Reed doesn’t have a beard. WTF Marvel???

    Also comics: Huh, beard kinda looks good. Should have done it years ago!

    MCU: Ewww. Reed doesn’t have a moustache. WTF Marvel???

  17. I don’t necessarily have any complained about the casting, but I do have some irritation of the facts that it feels like there’s only one actor in Hollywood right now.

  18. I’m more judging the fact they’re trying to reboot F4 again. Pascal will be the saving grace, if it’s worth watching at all.

  19. People care too much about fictional characters too much 😆.

  21. I just wanted more John Krasinski. But I love Pedro so I’m not mad.

  23. I’m sure he will be good but is there anything he isn’t in?

  24. Don’t worry Pedro, everyone wanted Krasinski, which was a horrible choice if you watched Dr. Strange 2

  25. Another Fantastic Four reboot doomed to box office failure. When are these producers going to take a hint?

  26. Everyone always freaks out about superhero castings. People had a bunch of crap to say about Michael Keaton as Batman, now he IS Batman. Let the movie happen and see how it goes.

  27. Pedro pascal is in this weird space where he’s a great actor but really does get miscast as a result of his popularity.

    The weirdest one for me is the mandalorian, I don’t dislike it but the reality is that most scenes are using a stunt double, his voice is changed in the helmet, and the rare scene that goes helmet off i actually dont think he fits the image I had at all. It’s clearly just to attach his name to it.

    FWIW I really like the mandalorian.

  29. I love Pedro, but I will confess I don’t understand why they didn’t go with John Krazinski. He has the vibe down perfect.

  30. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in criticizing the casting. Not everyone is a fan of Pedro, maybe someone wanted an actor that resembles Reed a lot more or maybe there was another actor that personality wise would’ve been a better fit. I for one don’t like the casting but I am open for Pedro to prove me wrong by his performance. Now if it’s goes into personal attacks outside the role then that’s a problem.

    I still think he was miscast in The Last of Us but I don’t have this burning hatred for it. I think that this will also be a miscast but again, open to be proven wrong.

  32. The age is completely fine, shaving would’ve helped though imo. I love Pedro, but he’s everywhere and looks the same in every role. Change it up a pinch, especially for characters that are known to look a certain way.

  33. I’m more concerned with the story and not the actor.

    Yes, I think the guy who played it in doctor strange would’ve been a great fit. But I’m not opposed to Pedro having a go at it.

  34. Hollywood is casting Pedro Pascal in every other role out there and I am wondering if people are starting to get tired of him

  35. It’s just why do they have to cast him for everything rn, just like when Zendaya was a trend, why do bad actors get cast like a line of rusty wire

  36. Way too much timey wimey plot for me to have a prejudice about the character’s age, and he’s probably 100% right for the role too, he seems to be pretty reliable in that regard.

    But it is perfectly reasonable to have expected he would shave. Maybe this is all just build up to him shaving as a plot point, or maybe it’s somehow the key to convincing stretchy CGI. Who knows right now, but unless it gets some sort of justification, Reed with a ‘stache is gonna read a little bit silly to longtime fans of the clean shaven character.

    It isn’t a good reason to make comments to the actor, but they never are and that bit is never gonna change

  37. It’s not art if you just make copies of the original work. It’s also not entertaining.

  39. I’ve just come to realize that those hardcore comic book fans are just the absolute worst, and it’s such low hanging fruit for news outlets to report on anything relative to whose neckbeards have to say about anything

  40. I would also love to see him in a smoky and the bandit reboot. He would be perfect

  41. I like him as an actor but so sick of him being in every single damn role.. Unpopular opinion but he shouldn’t have been in Last of Us either..

  42. The problem with Pedro pascal is that he’s in the prime of his career as a popular actor. For the same reason that you don’t see Denzel in every single movie now, is the same reason you see Pedro in every movie now: cost. One day asking Pedro to do a movie is going to cost 100 million dollars because of all the work he did building his career now. That’s how it works. Same for a lot of actors. Look at how their work is bulked up in a 5-10 year period, then nothing. It’s why don’t see Brad’s Pitt but every 5 years or so now. He’s suffering from his success. He shouldn’t have been casted as reed richards, but everyone of his agents and reps saw dollar signs and now it’s going to have an inverse affect on the movie making money. Sensible casting, writing, and movie making has gone the way of the dodo, and it all died with VHS tapes.

  43. I’m fine with Pedro but I do feel like Glenn Howerton is perfect for the role.

  44. People were gonna be mad no matter who they picked, but Pedro is a solid actor, and apparently the internet’s dad now. Don’t like it, don’t watch it, after all, it’s Just Another Marvel Movie!

  46. It wouldn’t hurt him to shave. He always looks like himself. Even Tom Cruise changes his hairstyle sometimes.

  47. Why another fantastic 4 movie? They’ve never been better than “just alright”.

  48. He’s overused, got Pedro Pascal fatigue. Hate when they push one actor into every show/movie

  49. Only backlash I’ve heard is people saying they’ve got Pedro Pascal fatigue.

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