Popular male starsPedro PascalPedro Pascal has recently become a target of attacks on the social media platform X. Some accounts have gone on the fringe of the story that he made "inappropriate physical contact" with actress Vanessa Kirby during the promotion of "Fantastic Four" and quoted him from an interview with Men's Health.Exclusive interviewThe conversation about anxiety sparked discussion.
The controversy stemmed from a video of Pedro holding hands with Vanessa Colby at an event. Some accounts subsequently accused him of "using anxiety as an excuse to touch women." However, in an interview with Men's Health, he simply stated, "When I feel anxious, I seek relief through human interaction and conversation." He never mentioned physical contact, leading to criticism that the claim was taken out of context.
BuzzFeed reported that one of the widely shared videos was labeled as having been distorted by artificial intelligence (AI), raising questions about the deliberate spread of false content. Furthermore, some commentators criticized Pedro's interactions with his "The Last of Us" co-star Bella Ramsey, saying they were "clearly different" and deliberately suggesting that Bella didn't meet Pedro's "anxiety" standards.
Pedro Pascal's anxiety card is elite pic.twitter.com/eI48HR1izw
— Natespeare 🌵L Valley ☀️ (@NSO_14) July 24, 2025
According to the report, most of the video clips were edited and the source of the account was questionable. Marvel star Simu Liu also posted a message on the social media platform X to support Pedro Pascal, writing: "It's really boring to create hatred because someone is experiencing high publicity."
manufactured hate for someone simply because they're experiencing a moment of extreme visibility (ie a press tour they're contractually obligated to do) is really fucking boring.
- Simu Liu (@SimuLiu) July 26, 2025
According to Vanity Fair, Pedro and Vanessa Kirby's hand-holding at Comic-Con last July sparked online discussion, with some fans using the gesture as a response to his criticism of JK Rowling. Vanessa herself stated in June, "We were both nervous at the time, and he just wanted to let me know we were in this together. I thought it was a very thoughtful gesture."
Pedro Pascal has expressed clear public stances in recent years, including support for transgender people, Palestinian human rights, and criticism of US President Donald Trump. These political views have been cited as a potential trigger for attacks from some accounts. The controversy escalated again after the release of his latest film, "Marvel 4: The Incredibles," and has been reposted into various online memes, mocking Pedro for his anxiety only around women.
me wondering why Pedro Pascal never has “anxiety” around his male co-workers pic.twitter.com/dfPsqBBGtp
— duck (@ExtremeBlitz__) July 23, 2025
However, some fans hit back, pointing out that Pascal also displays similar behavior around male actors, including his "Triple Frontier" co-star Oscar Isaac and "Aftersun" star Paul Mescal.
Pedro Pascal with his male co-stars btw https://t.co/enmaI7EJVL pic.twitter.com/gnEgSeUMWC
— Seur (@Seur101) July 23, 2025
Some netizens pointed out that this phenomenon shows that men's mental health is still a joke for most men, calling it a manifestation of gender discipline. The post also stated, "When men seek help, need comfort, intimate care, or face mental health difficulties, these behaviors are often seen as unmanly and are therefore ridiculed and belittled, ultimately preventing men from seeking the help they need."
Pedro Pascal opened up about his social anxiety and said engaging with and focusing on his friends helps him when he is feeling anxious — somewhere along the way that got distorted and perverted into this idea that he uses his mental health as an excuse to touch women. Which has… pic.twitter.com/zULVU4l1k0
— 𝙻𝚎𝚊𝚟𝚎𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚍𝙰𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚎 🇨🇦 (@LeaveHeardAlone) July 28, 2025
Another netizen said, "Those who laugh at Pedro Pascal's anxiety also pretend to care about men's mental health when they want to shut women up. Those people pretend to care about women's safety because they have never seen a woman feel comfortable and safe in front of a man." So far, Pedro Pascal has not publicly responded to the recent controversy.
the same men mocking pedro pascal's anxiety also preach about male mental health when it's to silence women
— ⎊ ♡ 𝑒𝒿 ♡ ⎊ (@OhMyEmz) July 24, 2025
the same men calling him a creep only now pretend to care about women's safety all because they've never seen women be comfortable and feel safe around a man before
