Pedro Pascal joins upcoming LGBTQ+ road-trip comedy: ‘Officially a protector of lesbians’

Pedro Pascal

The Last of Us star Pedro Pascal is the latest addition to Ethan Coen’s upcoming lesbian road-trip comedy Drive-Away Dolls, and fans are beyond excited.

If we said the words ‘man of the moment’, chances are one particular star would spring to mind. That’s right: Pedro Pascal, the acting powerhouse, internet’s “cool, slutty daddy” and trans ally-in-chief to sister Lux is now officially the hottest star in Hollywood, and a household name to anyone who’s taken even the most cursory glance at social media recently.

Hot on the heels of his acclaimed turn as Joel Miller in the fungus-ridden world of HBO’s post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us, and weekly instalments of Disney+’s Star Wars TV series The Mandalorian, Pascal has had a busy few months with two massive small screen hits – but luckily for everyone with daddy issues or an appreciation of acting (or both), there’s plenty of cinematic magic heading our way, too.

Pedro Pascal wears a spotted green, white and blue vest at the Merge Mansion Mobile Game Event.
Pedro Pascal is coming to the big screen soon as a queer gunslinging cowboy in Strange Way of Life. (Getty/Matt Winkelmeyer)

Enter Pascal’s new queer road-trip comedy, Drive-Away Dolls. Written by Ethan Coen and wife Tricia Cooke, the raucous film follows Jamie, “an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another break-up with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up,” per the film’s official synopsis.

“In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way”.

Although exact roles are closely under wraps right now, the film has lined up a stellar cast. Drive-Away Dolls stars Margaret Qually (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), and Bill Camp (Joker), along with Matt Damon, Geraldine Viswanathan (Blockers) and Colman Domingo (Euphoria) – and there’s sure to be plenty more exciting cast announcements in the coming few months.

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Twitter has reacted to the casting with all the requisite level of excitement one might expect at any news concerning the internet’s collective father figure.

Plenty of fans are pointing out that Pascal has great form when it comes to helping lesbians on cross-country adventures, so it makes perfect sense that he’s continuing his LGBTQ+ allyship.

While we wait impatiently for Drive-Away Dolls to hit the big screen, Pascal fans will be able to get their next fix in Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar highly-anticipated queer Western Strange Way of Life, which will premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival before being released in the UK later this year.

The film has been described by Almodóvar as his “answer to Brokeback Mountain” – a statement that should have fans of the genre very excited.

Drive-Away Dolls, meanwhile, looks likely to premiere at one of the autumn’s big festivals, ahead of its wider release on 22 September 2023. 

One thing’s for sure; if Pedro Pascal’s front and centre, we’ll be seated.