Why Pedro Pascal's arms (and playful charm!) are the talk of Cannes 2025

Whew.

Pascal showed up on the red carpet in the above black muscle tank, which gloriously showed off those biceps we've all collectively decided we want to sleep in. If you ask me, I'd have the best night of sleep if I were held in those arms. A man can dream, can't he?

Eddington is an American contemporary Western film that depicts the social and political turmoil during the COVID-19 pandemic in the fictional town of Eddington, New Mexico. It centers around a standoff between the local sheriff, Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) and Pascal, who plays the town's mayor Ted Garcia and is running for reelection.

The movie itself caused a bit of divide and wound up being one of the most divisive movies at the festival due to its depiction of everyone's worst fears during the pandemic, as well as the close proximity we still are to that time. It's also viewed as a social satire that both mocks and examines the panic from that year, with little pokes at both the liberal and conservative sides of the coin.

At a press conference during the festival, Pascal addressed some of the controversy by saying, "It's very scary to participate in a movie that speaks to issues like this. Its far too intimidating a question for me to address. I'm not informed enough. I want people to be safe and protected. I want very much to be on the right side of history."

He added, "I feel like [Aster] wrote something that was all our worst fears as that lockdown experience was already a fracturing society. This was building toward an untethered sense of reality. There is a point of no going back. I was overwhelmed by that fear, and it's wonderful that it was confirmed by Ari."

Outside of the seriousness of the film and the discussions during the press conference--which also included Pascal defending immigrants and telling us he came as a refugee from Chile to flee a dictatorship--his personality influenced the wildfire that sent fans in a frenzy that reminded us we really don't deserve him.

Him spinning out of camera like this with a little kiss? It's just too damn cute for words.

His acting skills have made us h-word, been viewed as one of the hottest male celebs, and has wielded multiple types of swords throughout his 20-plus years in the industry.

All of this plays a part in why the gays and the rest of the world totally love this man. He's made jokes about being into submission, defended Rachel Zegler over the Snow White controversy, and has shown what non-toxic masculinity looks like through his friendship with Oscar Isaac.

His willingness to be a goofball at events like Cannes, where he stuck out his tongue, took selfies with adoring fans, and even kissed Alexander Skarsgård, also has everyone hanging on his every move. It seems like every time he shows up to an event and every acting role he takes on just makes him a bigger celebrity that we simply cannot get enough of.

We collectively share a thirst for this man that is borderline unrivaled by any other we have ever seen.

Pascal's established himself as a staunch and fierce ally for the LGBTQ+ community. He's passionately defended his trans sister, Lux, played bisexual characters like Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, and has multiple bromances that send our fantasies out of this world.

Plus, he has at least admitted that he wants to make out with actor Kieran Culkin, and we very much maintain that this needs to happen, and we'd love the "pics or it didn't exist" resolution after he talked about this during the SAG Awards earlier this year.

In a world that's so chaotic, we need someone like Pascal to deliver us humor, drama, and equality. In our opinion, he deserves every good thing that happens to him and more, and we remain eternally grateful for everything he gives us.

Especially those damn arms.

Although the people of the Cannes Film Festival have been lucky enough to see Eddington, the rest of us are going to have to wait until July 18 for the film to see its U.S. release. In the meantime, you can watch Pascal on the current season of HBO's The Last of Us.