At the Cannes Film Festival, Pedro Pascal addressed the politically charged themes of Eddington, Ari Aster’s new modern Western set for release in July by A24. The film, starring Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, and Austin Butler, unfolds during the COVID-19 pandemic and centers on a tense standoff in a small New Mexico town, echoing national divisions over masks, race, and truth.
When asked about recent deportations in the U.S., Pascal treaded carefully, saying, “It’s obviously very scary for an actor… to speak on issues like this.” Still, he didn’t shy away from his own story. “I am an immigrant. My parents are refugees from Chile. We fled a dictatorship,” he said. “If it weren’t for that, I don’t know what would have happened to us. I stand by those protections always.”
Responding to whether the film’s political tone made him worry about backlash at home, Pascal replied, “Fear is the way that they win.”
Director Ari Aster described Eddington as a reflection of a fractured America: “I wrote this film in a state of fear and anxiety… where nobody can agree on what is real anymore.” Pascal called Aster “a whistleblower,” exposing uncomfortable truths.
The film drew mixed reactions at Cannes — some praised its unflinching look at a divided America, while others criticized it as unfocused. Nonetheless, it marks Aster’s most overtly political work to date and a bold step for its star-studded cast.
