I very much believe in Pedro Pascal’s world domination. In the past few months, the Chilean-born actor has made a name for himself starring in a variety of different large scale projects, such as The Last Of Us, The Mandalorian, and Game of Thrones. It seems like everywhere you go, there’s something new to obsess over regarding his stardom — and right now, that’s Sarah Paulson and Pedro Pascal’s friendship timeline, which spans over two decades.
As Pascal’s career has skyrocketed these last couple of years, many of Pascal’s close friends have come out to express their gratitude and love for his charisma, personality and kindness. One of Pascal’s best friends, Sarah Paulson, has been an important close friend for over 20 years. Paulson and Pascal have spoken openly about their early starting days as actors, and the struggles that the two faced while working in New York throughout the ‘90s.
September 1993: Pascal and Paulson start their New York adventures.
In 2014, Pascal was interviewed by Paulson for Interview Magazine. Pascal explains the story of how the two met during Pascal’s first month in New York City. “I was really lucky because my first friend at NYU lived in Brooklyn, Kristen, and went to high school with you, so your guys’ posse kind of adopted me,” recounts Pascal, reminiscing on their early days of running around in the Upper East Side. There’s even a moment in the interview where Pascal talks about being “knocked down by a cabbie” at the start of their friendship.
In an April 2023 interview for Esquire Magazine, Paulson reminisces on the early beginnings of Pascal’s career, saying that “there were times where I would give him my per diem from a job I was working on so that he could have money to feed himself,” signaling the start of a lifelong friendship.
Late ‘90s to early 2000s: The two drift apart, but rekindle their friendship later.
In the same interview for Interview Magazine, Paulson reveals that there was a period where the two did not frequently speak to one another. Paulson began getting jobs in Los Angeles, resulting in her moving to a new city. Pascal continued to live in New York until he began to find work in Los Angeles, and reconnected with Paulson. The two moved back to New York in the 2000s, and were “attached to each other and hadn’t been able to let go,” Pascal exclaims fondly.
2014 to 2016: Success takes the actors to a new place: Hollywood.
Paulson began to find massive success during the early seasons of American Horror Story. With roles such as Lana Winters and Cordelia Goode, Paulson began to get invited to prestigious events like the 2016 SAG Awards. Pascal was also beginning to find success as well, due to his role as Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. The duo began to show up to events together like the 2014 Producers Guild of America Awards, and were photographed together on the red carpets, at the afterparties, and during the ceremonies.
April 2, 2020: Paulson wishes Pascal a happy birthday in a unique way.
During lockdown, Pascal and Paulson began to post on social media about their friendship. On Pascal’s 45th birthday, Paulson posted a birthday tribute, saying, “Woody Harrelson, Central Park, and Fearless forever.” in celebration of their decade-spanning friendship.
Dec. 17, 2020: Pascal returns the favor.
Pascal posted his own birthday tribute of Paulson singing for her 46th birthday, calling her a “f*cking goddess.”
Feb. 4, 2023: A full-circle moment happens at SNL.
After Pascal’s role as Joel in The Last of Us, the actor hosted Saturday Night Live on Feb. 4, 2023. During a skit called “Fancam Assembly,” Pascal poked fun at the internet making fancams of him as a school teacher doing mundane things. When one of the students brings up another teacher, Paulson made her Saturday Night Live debut as she made a cameo during this sketch, supporting Pascal during his first time hosting Saturday Night Live. It was a full circle moment that the two took the center stage together, in the city that ignited their lasting friendship.