Pedro Pascal’s body of work is as long as it is diverse. He’s spent his career picking up roles in some of the most unexpected places, and he knocks it out of the park every time. Most notably, he was the charming Oberyn Martell in Season 4 of Game of Thrones. He’s also made surprise appearances in shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Nurse Jackie, and is best known these days for starring in The Mandalorian and The Last Of Us.
But like any dedicated actor, Pascal couldn’t pass up the opportunity to appear in several award-winning Law & Order shows. He has portrayed characters on both sides of the law, and has kept viewers captivated with all of them. One role in particular, though, really stands out as one of his grittiest. Who knew that the same man known for playing popular father figures could play such a creep? It might not have been Oscar-worthy, but Pascal leaned fully into the role as he’s known to do, and made it work.
When was Pedro Pascal on Law and Order?
Pascal has been in so many episodes of different Law & Order shows on NBC that it’s almost hard to keep track of his history with the gritty crime dramas. He played Special Agent Greer in Special Victims Unit. He was also in Criminal Intent twice, as Reggie Luckman then later as Kip Green. The franchise has a habit of featuring actors – both upcoming and established – and often bringing them back just for the fun of it. It helps that several actors have received Emmy nominations for their performances as criminals and victims alike. In Law & Order, however, Pascal was definitely playing the former as Tito Cabassa.
Season 18, episode 10, “Tango,” follows Detectives Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin) and Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto) as they investigate the disappearance of a high school student named Anne-Marie Liscomb (Molly Ephraim). When they find footage of the young woman going into a seedy motel with a sex worker named Sugar (Maria Dizzia), they end up meeting her sleazy pimp Tito (Pascal). Then the detectives find Anne-Marie’s battered body in a dumpster, and suddenly the two ne’er-do-wells are facing serious assault and murder charges.
Nowadays, audiences tend to see Pascal in parental roles. He played Max Lord in Wonder Woman 1984, a father desperate to get back to his son after a series of wishes gone wrong. He plays Joel Miller in The Last of Us, the reluctant caretaker of a sassy teenage girl. Then, of course, he plays the titular character in The Mandalorian charged with taking care of the cutest little Jedi anyone has ever seen. Yet, Pascal’s portrayal of Tito in Law & Order was anything but wholesome. When accused of assaulting a drunk teenage girl, he laughs and claims she had it coming. When Sugar confirms Tito's actions, he throws misogynistic insults at her as he’s led into a jail cell.
Unlike some criminals portrayed on television, Tito can’t even blame his behavior on systemic circumstances such as those that might lead one to steal food or lie one’s way into money for medicine. He just gets a thrill out of hurting vulnerable people and getting away with it. Meanwhile, Sugar ends up admitting that she was the one who killed Anne-Marie in a jealous rage over Tito. The Law & Order episode ends with them both convicted and sentenced to prison.
Has Pedro Pascal Talked About His Law & Order Role?
Pascal is no more a stranger to being part of a franchise (like Star Wars) than he is to getting nostalgic about his previous roles. In 2019, the actor sat down with GQ and discussed some of the most memorable characters he’s brought to life. Pascal playfully regaled the interviewer with behind-the-scenes tidbits about his performances on shows like Narcos, The Good Wife, and The Mentalist. However, he didn’t mention any of the characters he played on Law & Order. In fact, it’s rare for him to talk much about these roles at all.
Of course, that doesn’t mean he’s ashamed of them. When Pascal hosted Saturday Night Live in Season 48, he joked about having portrayed multiple roles on the crime drama series. It just sounds like he doesn’t consider this work to be the height of his career. It makes sense, since he went on to pick up work much more pivotal for him as an actor.
Back then, Pascal worked on shows like Law & Order for experience and exposure. These days, he and award-winning actor Steven Yeun trade notes on what it’s like working on a show about zombies. Pascal’s career is steadily moving forward, and his filmography now includes movies with actors like Nicolas Cage, Teyonah Parris, and Denzel Washington. He’s on a completely different playing field, and it’s no wonder he doesn’t spend too much time looking back.
That doesn’t mean Pascal hates his past work. Rather, fans are more likely to hear him talking about what he has going on in the present or planned for the future. Pascal is in high demand at the moment, and needs to focus on what’s directly ahead of him. That is, aside from the rare moment in which Sarah Michelle Gellar herself goes on Instagram and reminds them of their work together on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Meanwhile, Pascal isn’t the only one from his Law & Order episode whose career is currently on the fast track. Matthew Maher played Antonio the sleazy motel manager, and is now playing the sassy but lovable Black Pete on Our Flag Means Death. Maria Dizzia did a lot of crying as Sugar, so hopefully her character in Agatha: Coven of Chaos will be in better spirits. Pascal is among a huge, diverse group of actors who have paid their dues in one-off roles on Law & Order. Who knows? He might go back one day just for the heck of it.
Law & Order episodes are available now on NBC and Peacock.