Pedro Pascal Instantly Predicted Matt Damon's Hollywood Stardom After Just One Meeting

Here’s a fun blast from the not-so-distant past: before Pedro Pascal became, well, Pedro Pascal (aka everyone’s favorite internet daddy and Mandalorian), he popped up in a tiny, easily-missed role in The Adjustment Bureau. What’s even more entertaining is that Matt Damon and Emily Blunt were both floored by his performance—before they had any clue who he actually was.

Pedro Pascal’s ‘Who Was That Guy?’ Moment

Matt Damon was on The Howard Stern Show recently and shared a story about filming the 2011 movie The Adjustment Bureau (in which he starred alongside Emily Blunt). Apparently, there was a quick Maitre D’ character in one scene, and both he and Blunt were quietly shocked by just how good the actor was. The kicker: that part basically got chopped out of the finished movie, so most people never saw it.

Damon remembers it like this:

'Emily and I sat down, and the Maitre D' walked away. We both looked at each other, and Em goes, "That guy's really f*cking good." I said, "Yeah, what the f*ck. That guy was really good." There was just something really interesting, really real and natural… Years later, found out it was Pedro Pascal.'

Little did they know, that 'guy' was about to take over Hollywood. At the time, Pascal was still floating around in low-profile projects—seriously, sift back through his old filmography and it’s just bit parts mostly. But, there was definitely something percolating under the surface, and apparently, Damon and Blunt spotted it early.

Years Later: Now We’re All Staring at Pedro Pascal

Fast-forward: Pascal gets a bigger shot with Damon in 2016’s The Great Wall. This time, Pascal plays a full-on Spanish mercenary named Pero Tovar, while Damon gets to be William Garin, the guy who leads/fights giant monsters on the Great Wall of China. It’s the kind of over-the-top role that really lets Pascal chew some scenery (and trust me, he does).

Pascal later talked about working with Damon, saying, 'He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever met.' Apparently, he was putting on a nasty wig and beard for filming when Damon came up and introduced himself, which left Pascal completely star-struck. But the best part? Damon did remember! He brought up that old, basically-nonexistent scene from The Adjustment Bureau and even remembered a joke Pascal cracked that made him and Emily Blunt laugh during a take.

Pascal couldn’t resist a playful jab, telling Access Hollywood he told Ben Affleck to 'move over—there’s a new best friend in town.' No one is safe from Pedro’s charm, clearly.

Pedro Pascal: Absurdly Busy, Booked Solid

In case you’ve lost track (and honestly, who could blame you), Pascal is on a ridiculous hot streak. Here’s what’s on his plate right now:

• The Mandalorian & Grogu—Pedro’s returning to the ‘Star Wars’ universe for a feature film, directed by Jon Favreau and set for a May 22, 2026 release. If you’ve seen his work in the Disney+ series, you know he owns that helmet.
• Avengers: Doomsday—Yep, he’s officially joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’ll be back as part of his Fantastic Four crew fighting some major villainy, hitting theaters December 18, 2026.
• Behemoth!—This is the next Tony Gilroy film, with Pascal as the lead (he stepped in after Oscar Isaac exited the project). He’ll be joined by Eva Victor, Olivia Wilde, and Matthew Lillard. Slightly dramatic aside: David Harbour just left the production due to mental health struggles. No release date so far.

So, How Far Has Pascal Come?

A guy who once delivered a line or two and left Matt Damon confused about why he was so good is now headlining more major franchises than most A-listers could dream of. Even back in 2025, Pascal had a run of starring gigs: Eddington, Materialists, Fantastic Four: First Steps (his MCU debut), and honestly, internet points for his Saturday Night Live hosting stint as Renaldo.

To sum it up: Pascal’s quietly been crushing it for ages, but now there’s no missing him. If you want to go back and spot his earliest work, The Adjustment Bureau is available to rent/buy on Prime Video. And yeah, he’s probably still the best thing about that random Maitre D’ role that almost nobody ever noticed—except, of course, Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.