Pedro Pascal explains calling out J.K. Rowling in social media comment

Pedro Pascal is once again speaking out. In a new cover story interview with Vanity Fair published on June 24, the actor opened up about why he publicly called out J.K. Rowling earlier this year. 

His comments came after Rowling supported a U.K. Supreme Court ruling from April 16 that defined the legal meaning of “woman” based solely on biological sex under Britain’s Equality Act.

Pascal, whose sister Lux Pascal came out as transgender in 2021, had left a blunt comment under an Instagram video criticizing Rowling’s stance. 

“Awful disgusting SH-- is exactly right. Heinous LOSER behavior,” he wrote at the time. The comment quickly went viral, and now Pascal is reflecting on the impact it had.

He admitted that the attention brought him back to his school days in Texas. 

“That kid that got sent to the principal's office a lot for behavioral issues in public schools in Texas feeling scared and thinking, What'd I do?” he told Vanity Fair. But the real concern for Pascal was whether his words were making a difference. 

“The one thing that I would say I agonized over a little bit was just, 'Am I helping? Am I f------ helping?' It's a situation that deserves the utmost elegance so that something can actually happen, and people will actually be protected,” he explained.

Pascal made it clear that his advocacy isn’t just about his family. “Listen, I want to protect the people I love,” he said. “But it goes beyond that. Bullies make me f------ sick.”

His sister, Javiera Balmaceda Pascal, also spoke up, standing firmly by her brother’s side. She described Rowling’s actions as “heinous loser behavior.” She added, “And he said that as the older brother to someone saying that our little sister doesn’t exist.”

Pascal has continued to show his support in other ways, like wearing a T-shirt with “PROTECT THE DOLLS” at the Thunderbolts U.K. premiere in April. 

As fans look forward to seeing him in The Fantastic Four: First Steps on July 25 and Materialists, which is already in theaters, Pascal’s words and actions show his ongoing commitment to standing up for the trans community.