After a week of teasing his debut on Saturday Night Live (including twerking with a clicker), Pedro Pascal did not disappoint on the long-running comedy sketch series this weekend (February 4).
Pascal became the second Latine actor in three weeks to make their SNL breakout after Aubrey Plaza hosted two weeks ago, and he did a great job.
Here’s to hoping SNL kicks it into high gear and continues booking talent from our communities. Scream 6 premieres March 10, so how about scream queens Jenna Ortega and/or Melissa Barrera hosting that weekend?
Or maybe…Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves premieres on March 31, so let’s give hosting duties to Michelle Rodriguez sometime before SNL’s 48th season is officially over. Here are some more suggestions we made last summer.
If you missed this weekend’s episode of SNL, something Pedro Pascal described as the “best night of my life” at the end of the show, here are our five favorite moments.
1
Speaking Spanish in Opening Monologue
Sporting a very purple long-sleeve shirt, Pascal took the stage to an uproarious crowd that got even louder when he mentioned his hit series The Last of Us. Pascal then talked about his family history. He was born in Santiago, Chile, where he has “34 first cousins who are still there” and is very proud of him. So proud, in fact, they give his phone number out to everyone.
“I was born in Chile, and nine months later, my parents fled [Augusto] Pinochet and brought me and my sister to the U.S.,” he said. “They were so brave, and without them, I wouldn’t be here in this wonderful country.” Pascal then added a message to his family: “Te amo. Te extraño. Deja de dar mi información personal.”
2
HBO’s Mario Kart
In a trailer for a new HBO series, the network seems to be trying to take advantage of the success of The Last of Us by adapting another video game into a TV show – Mario Kart. Pascal plays the title Italian character, who is tasked to save a princess from a mushroom fungus that has taken over the land. Lone Latine SNL featured cast member Marcello Hernández portrays Toad.
3
Wake Up!
Pascal plays Charlie, a man who has just woken up from a coma and doesn’t recognize his wife, sister, or best friend who are in the hospital room with him. He also has an entirely different personality and, as his BFF describes, is “talking with this L.A. mush mouth thing.” Charlie responds: “You think I sound L.A.? Thank you. I love L.A.”
The doctor tells everyone that his condition is probably just temporary and lets them know that in some cases, people wake up from a coma speaking foreign languages they never knew. “Can I speak Spanish?” Charlie wonders. “Lemme try. Saba, saba, sama, sama. Sounds like Spanish to me.” At one point, Pascal breaks out of character and starts laughing, but finds a way to compose himself and finishes out the sketch.
4
Protective Mamá
Hernández got some motherly love from Pascal during a sketch where The Mandalorian star played his mother, Ms. Flores, who is not happy that her son, Luis, has come home from college with a girlfriend she doesn’t seem too impressed with. Dressed in a pink pantsuit and sporting some white hair, Ms. Flores says the new girlfriend dresses like a boy, has an impractical major in college, and brought vegan sliders to her dinner table. “Cociné para todo y esta niña viene a mi casa con vegan sliders.” Later, Ms. Flores warms up to her son’s new gal pal after she volunteers to say grace. “Why didn’t you tell me she was a woman of God?” Pascal says. “Now, where are my grandchildren?”
5
Daddy Teacher
Pascal plays Mr. Ben, a favorite teacher at St. Lawrence High School who is trying to understand why they’ve used a social media platform called Fancam to turn him into a daddy.
At an assembly on technology, he lets students know that it’s inappropriate to make videos of him looking sexy. “Why do you make sparkly, fast, romantic montages of me every single day?” he asks. He’s also confused about the students’ slang and wants to know if “eat it up” is a good or bad thing. “Is the way I ate this up a compliment because it was nom-nom delish and had you gagged?”
Later, the students reveal that since they made Mr. Ben their daddy, they had to make another teacher their mommy. Long-time friend and actor Sarah Paulson then joins Mr. Ben on stage as Ms. Jenny, who is in a relationship with him. “He’s daddy, I’m mommy, and we’re all a happy family,” she says. “No crumbs left.”