Nothing catches us off guard quite like an unexpected bit of leg on the red carpet. In 2012, it was Angelina Jolie at the Oscars. And in 2023, it was Pedro Pascal at the Met Gala.
The Last of Us star, 48, often referred to as 'The Internet Daddy', is enjoying his moment in the sun in a major way. As he should! Following a strong run as one of the internet's most memeable celebrities (laughing with him and not at it, of course), it seems like everything the actor touches turns to gold.
And his outfit at the annual Met Gala fashion parade was another opportunity for our Pedro to make his mark. Pedro was dressed in head to toe Valentino in the form of a floor-length red coat, a red shirt, black mid-calf military boots, slicked back hair and a pair of now-infamous black shorts. He looked somewhere between the children in Narnia and a London postbox, but in the greatest way.
This was Pedro's second appearance at the annual fashion event. The actor made his Met Gala debut in 2019, wearing a custom tanned tuxedo from Burberry for the party's 'Camp: Notes on Fashion' theme. After nearly two decades of smaller on-screen parts, Pedro rose to fame in 2014 when he joined the cast of Game of Thrones, and cemented his place on the scene the following year when he was cast in Netflix's series, Narcos. As of 2023, the actor was named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the year – hence his coveted spot on the exclusive Met Gala guest list.
The year, the theme paid homage to the late Karl Lagerfeld, who was Chanel's creative director from 1983 until 2019 when he died. While several celebrities interpreted the theme by wearing classic monochrome, a statement collar or indeed a bright red suit, others honoured the designer by coming as his cat, Choupette. It was with regret that Karl's beloved Choupette could not make this year's gala, but she was kind enough to let fans know via her Instagram page.
She wrote: 'Many people invited me to walk the red carpet of the #METGALA2023 in tribute to Daddy, but we preferred to stay peacefully & cozy at home.' But stars including Doja Cat and Jared Leto paid tribute to Miss Lagerfeld by attending the most prestigious event in fashion dressed as a cat. Boundaries are there to be broken!
However, it seems the shorts are causing even more of a stir than any of the carpet cats. Pedro may not have had his whiskers on this time, but fans are describing his 'slutty little knees' as a 'slay'. He even treated us to a few lunge-style poses on the Met stairs to really showcase the power of the raw male knee. It's the most leg appreciation we've seen on the Internet since Paul Mescal popped to the shops to buy crips in Gaelic football shorts during lockdown.
One fan on Twitter shared a picture of Pedro's red-hot look and simply put, 'Pedro Pascal, the man who you are.' While another wrote, 'Pedro deserves every bit of love the world has to offer.' Whatever Pedro and his team are doing, it's working! Expect to see men in winter coats and hot pants for the duration of Spring.