Before becoming the internet’s ‘daddy’, Pedro Pascal lost out on a role in The Vampire Diaries

Mar 23 2023
Written by Charlie Duncan

Pedro Pascal missed out on a ‘Vampire Diaries’ role due to this … (Getty / The CW)

Pedro Pascal – possibly the internet’s favourite daddy – almost played the role of Marcel in The CW’s hit series The Vampire Diaries, but was turned down because of his age.

Despite age coming hand-in-hand with attractiveness for those invested in the daddy community, that sentiment was apparently not shared by everyone involved with The Vampire Diaries.

The show ran from 2009 to 2017 and, as the name of the show suggests, followed a group of vampires in the fictional town of Mystic Falls. The series, starring Nina Dobrev, Ian Somerhalder Paul Wesley and Steven R McQueen, earned a cult following during its time, and remains to this day a beloved part of the pop culture canon.

Now, producer Julie Plec has revealed that Pascal, star of HBO’s hit The Last of Us, was once in the running to play the role of Marcel, a charismatic vampire with influence over the people of New Orleans.

During an interview for Entertainment Weekly’s Binge podcast, Plec recalled that while she was “obsessed” with Pascal, the role ultimately went to Charles Michael Davis, who was 10 years his junior.

“I was in full Pedro Pascal fan girl mode and was just like, ‘Oh my God, he’s so great’. But Charles, like, I mean, ‘I am the king’, right? He just had that swagger.”

Given that Davis was younger, The Vampire Diaries showrunners felt that he was a better choice to exemplify the immortal nature of the mythological creatures.

Pascal may have missed out on The Vampire Diaries, but the staunch LGBTQ+ ally, trans advocate and Rihanna fan has had plenty of other projects to get his teeth into.

Along with Game of Thrones and The Mandalorian, the recent adaptation of The Last of Us has propelled Pascal to even higher level of celebrity, mainly due to his adorable friendship with co-star, Bella Ramsey.