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The marketing push for Pascal, especially around The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, seemed designed to elevate his star to a near-mythical level. Yet, the audience's reaction suggests that the star power is somewhat manufactured—Disney's efforts to elevate Pascal into a household name appear to be failing, or at least not translating into box office gold.
The Pedro Pascal Dilemma
The recent Fantastic Four marketing push included a gratuitous appearance of Pascal on Good Morning America, where he made controversial statements about "fascists" and other political issues, causing some backlash. This kind of stunt, intended to boost visibility, instead underscores the growing disconnect between Disney's marketing machine and actual audience preferences.