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Was Pedro Pascal the wrong person to cast as Reed Richards? The actor breaks his silence on the backlash he got when joining The Fantastic Four: First Steps.
Despite how recent things truly were, some people may already be forgetting the agonizing wait to find out the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. While every character had actors attached to them, perhaps none were more varied than Reed Richards. Fans called for everyone from Dev Patel to Glenn Howerton to take on the role, before it was ultimately given to Pedro Pascal.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, fans weren’t exactly the happiest about Pedro Pascal joining the cast of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Part of this comes from just how prevalent the actor has been in nerd culture the past few years. Another part comes from how long fans were left to sit with their fancasts, their thoughts about how Reed Richards should be in the MCU calcifying in their minds before the ink on the script was even dry.
Pedro Pascal Breaks His Silence On The Backlash
In a surprisingly bold move for the infamously reserved actor, Pedro Pascal actually spoke about the backlash in a talk with Variety. The actor reveals that he’s more cognizant about the controversy of being cast as Reed Richards than in any other film he’s ever done. And given the list of complaints he’s heard, it seems as though he may be more tuned in to the discussion around The Fantastic Four: First Steps than most of the trades covering it!
“I’m more aware of disgruntlement around my casting than anything I’ve ever done,” Pascal remarked “He’s too old. He’s not right. He needs to shave.”
The Fantastic Four: First Steps is far from the only fandom property that has had people harassing actors that they feel shouldn’t have been cast in a certain role. However, given how massive Pedro Pascal is right now, the fact that he’s come to speak on the backlash he received for playing Reed Richards is a massive swing. While it’s not likely, hopefully this moment of vulnerability will temper the trolls as the film eyes a release next month.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps opens on July 25, 2025. Stay tuned for all the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
