In 2018, when the news about Pedro Pascal’s casting as Maxwell Lord in Wonder Woman 1984 came out, it was widely welcomed. Yet, there was a bit of scepticism amongst fans as there haven’t been many live-action portrayals of the DC super villain on-screen. However, when the teaser for the much-awaited sequel dropped, it became clear that Pascal was the perfect fit.
Playing a DC villain was somewhat of a new territory for Pascal. The actor believes that Max represents a “very specific kind of cultural identity that is from the 1980s, and it is about the idea of winning — the measure of our worth being identified by exterior examples of success.” Pascal believes that these elements of the character exist in his own DNA, having grown up in the 80s in suburban USA.
“Patty Jenkins (the director) was basically just asking me to think about all of the things that shaped me and raised me. And Patty and I also have really similar taste in films, so we were completely simpatico and in sync in terms of what she was after.” On working with Jenkins, he further adds, “She’s an actor’s director. I think that’s why we fall in love with her work so completely, because it is always story first and then all of the elements that fall into line when the story is working.
On a film like this one, you always think, how do I technically achieve that? But with Patty, it was always how do I tell the story?” As the teaser showed, Pascal’s character and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman lock horns in the film.
How was it behind the screens? Pascal says that he was “struck by (Gadot’s) beauty, warmth and talent.” He adds, “You think, how are all of these elements combined into this completely accessible actor and movie star? And you meet her and she’s even nicer than you expect her to be!”