‘Star Wars’ Icons Harrison Ford and Pedro Pascal Blew Up the Internet Last Night

in Star Wars

Posted on by Thomas Hitchen 1 Comment
Pedro Pascal as Din Djarin without his helmet on

Credit: Lucasfilm

Whether it’s the Mandalorian Pedro Pascal Variant, Pedro Pascal as the infected-fighting Joel, or just the Internet daddy himself, the star of big and small screens is everywhere.

And last night, he, along with fellow Star Wars icon Harrison Ford, blew up social media.

Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) allowing Grogu to touch his face
Credit: Lucasfilm

Last night, Hollywood royalty descended on the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles for the 95th Academy Awards. It may have been hard to see past the big winner of the night, A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), or runner-up All Quiet on the Western Front (2022), especially with that doom-laden music, but social media picked up on a lot of action from two royals in their own right.

As part of Lucasfilm’s galaxy far, far away, Pedro Pascal and Harrison Ford are hugely-celebrated actors. Ford, of course, originated the role of rogueish space smuggler Han Solo in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) before going on to star in the rest of the original trilogy from George Lucas (Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980), Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983)), and Disney and Kathleen Kennedy’s sequel trilogy which began with 2015’s Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens.

Harrison Ford as Han Solo in 'Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back' (1980)
Credit: Lucasfilm

Pascal arrived 40 years after Ford, donning the Mandalorian helmet and starring as Din Djarin in Jon Favreau’s neo-Western The Mandalorian on Disney+. The American-Chilean actor rose to prominence as Oberyn Martell on HBO’s Game of Thrones, then later in Netflix’s Narcos. His role as the titular Mando received widespread acclaim, and many fans and critics saw this as a turning point for the struggling Star Wars franchise.

Off the back of Rian Johnson’s divisive Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017), The Mandalorian grounded the franchise in a gritty landscape that eventually led to one of the most beloved partnerships of all time, Mando and the Child AKA Grogu (“Baby Yoda”).

Din Djarin with Grogu in their N-1 Starfighter in The Mandalorian
Credit: Lucasfilm

Related: Pedro Pascal Breaks Internet, ‘Mandalorian’ Actor Cast In Director’s “Answer to ‘Brokeback Mountain’”

While starring as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, Pascal’s star rose even higher, and his concurrent appearance as Joel Miller in HBO’s adaptation of The Last of Us, has seen the “Internet’s daddy” ignite. Starring alongside Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie, Pascal’s charisma off the camera as well as his acting prowess on it, saw The Last of Us skyrocket as one of the most watched streaming shows in HBO history, falling just short of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon.

So, with the cultural and notoriously grumpy icon in Ford as well as the current star power of Pascal, their joint appearance at the Oscars sure caused some chaos online.

Pedro Pascal on the red carpet
Credit: ABC

Pedro Pascal and Harrison Ford

As soon as the Mandalorian Pedro Pascal hit the red, no champagne carpet, social media blew up in response. Dubbed the “Internet’s daddy,” Pascal is hugely popular with fans of all ages, and Twitter went mad for their man.

Pedro Pascal Daily (@pascalarchive) said:

THE MANDALORIAN, EXACTLY

The clip of Pascal pointing at the camera came as host Jimmy Kimmel was reeling off people in the audience that could protect him if things went south like they did last year (see: Will Smith slaps Chris Rock) and included Pascal’s Mandalorian. Another tweet from Pablo (@pabsr_23) said:

Pedro Pascal and Elizabeth Olsen together is my multiverse of madness

Vic (@EDDIESKRAKEN) said:

pedro pascal at the oscars looking fine ass hell… YUP

@itsjustanx commented on Pascal appearing with Elizabeth Olsen (WandaVision), saying:

Winning an #Oscar is great, but watching Elizabeth Olsen and Pedro Pascal holding hands? We’re the real winners tonight.

Ford revealed the last, and arguably most coveted award of the night — Best Picture. With already six wins under its belt, all eyes were on whether The Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once would go the distance. A tight race already and one which saw All Quiet on the Western Front gain steam throughout the evening, Ford announced Everything Everywhere to rapturous applause, but none were so excited as its star and newly commended Academy Award winner, Ke Huy Quan.

Quan, who had won the award for Best Supporting Actor just a few hours previously, is perhaps best known for his work in The Goonies (1985), and later alongside Ford in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) as Short Round. The emotional reunion saw the pair embracing on the stage, and naturally, Twitter went wild.

@ripleysdaya caught the history-making moment. They wrote:

HARRISON FORD PRESENTING AN OSCAR TO KE HUY QUAN. RIVER OF TEARS

Lex (@lexie_labollita) said:

Low key crying over the full circle moment of Harrison Ford giving as Oscar to Ke Huy Quan #oscars

Ford has been a champion of Quan’s all the awards season, and his performance as Waymond Wang will go down in history. While Ford handed the Best Picture award to the Everything Everywhere team, just after Michelle Yeoh made history and won the gong for Best Actress in a Leading Role, the nominees included All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water (2022), Triangle of Sadness (2022), Tár (2022), Top Gun: Maverick (2022), The Fablemans (2022), The Banshees of Inisherin (2022), Elvis (2022), and Women Talking (2022).

Kiri (Sigourney Weaver) in 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022). Credit: Disney
Credit: Disney

Disney and the 95th Oscars

The 2023 Oscars was also where Angela Bassett lost out on her own tight race for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award. Bassett received widespread acclaim for her role as the grieving mother and Queen of Wakanda, Ramonda, in Ryan Coogler’s Marvel movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).

Angela Bassett as Queen Ramonda at the UN in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
Credit: Marvel Studios

Related: Farewell! ‘Star Wars’ Leaving Skywalker Saga Behind, New Movies “In Movement All Along”

However, after wins at the Golden Globes and the Critics Choice Movie Awards and nominations at the BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards, the statuette would eventually go to Jamie Lee Curtis for her role as Deidre Beaubeirdre in Everything Everywhere All at Once. Bassett’s potential win would have marked a major milestone for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as no other actor has even been nominated for this coveted accolade.

Did you watch the Oscars? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!

Pedro Pascal currently stars in The Mandalorian Season 3 alongside Katee Sackhoff as Bo-Katan Kryze. The Star Wars series airs weekly on Disney+.

Thomas Hitchen

When he’s not thinking about the Magic Kingdom, Thomas is usually reading a book, becoming desperately obsessed with fictional characters, or baking something delicious (his favorite is chocolate cake -- to bake and to eat). He's a dreamer and grew up on Mulan saving the world, Jim Hawkins soaring through the stars, and Padmé Amidala fighting a Nexu. At the Parks, he loves to ride Everest, stroll down Main Street with an overstuffed pin lanyard around his neck, and eat as many Mickey-shaped ice creams as possible. His favorite character is Han Solo (yes, he did shoot first), and his favorite TV show is Buffy the Vampire Slayer except when it's One Tree Hill. He loves sandy beach walks, forest hikes, and foodie days out in the Big City. Thomas lives in England, UK, with his fiancée, baby, and their dog, a Border Collie called Luna.

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