Pedro Pascal presented Oscars to the winners in the Best Animated Short Film category during the 95th Academy Awards Sunday night (March 12). It was evident even before the ceremony began, however, that his priority was to support his sister Javiera Balmaceda, who was also in attendance as a producer of Argentina, 1985, a Best International Film nominee.
During an interview on the champagne-colored carpet, Pascal mentioned his sister, who is Head of Local Originals, Latin America, CA & AU at Amazon Studios according to her Linkedin, when he was asked what he was most looking forward to at the Oscars ceremony. “[My sister’s] gonna be sitting next to me nervous until we get to that category,” Pascal said.
Pascal and his sister walked arm and arm before the ceremony started and posed for photos. In one video circulating online, Pascal can be seen playing the role of a proud brother and pointing to his sister and telling everyone around him that “her movie is nominated for Best International Film.”
Pascal has a history of supporting his siblings. When his sister Lux came out as a transwoman in 2021, Pascal posted an image of her on a magazine cover and wrote, “My sister, my heart, our Lux.” She later said that her brother “has been an important part of this. He’s also an artist and has served as a guide for me. He was one of the first people to gift me the tools that started shaping my identity.”
Earlier this month, Pascal used Instagram to share more about Balmaceda’s film. “No other country in the world at that time had taken on their genocidal leaders to expose their crimes and demand justice.”
Unfortunately, Argentina, 1985, didn’t win the Oscar. The German war film All Quiet on the Western Front picked up the victory, which didn’t sit well with many people online who believed Argentina should’ve won.
Javiera Balmaceda’s film may not have won, but a brother’s unwavering love and support is a great consolation prize.