"Everyone Wants a Piece": Pedro Pascal on the Cover of July's Vanity Fair

The star of "The Last of Us" goofed around during a photoshoot and revealed that he seriously considered ending his career. And in one of the shots, they found a reference to a famous meme.

Vanity Fair's July issue hit stands with Pedro Pascal on the cover. The choice of cover star isn't surprising at all.

The actor is absolutely everywhere right now. After the massive success of "The Mandalorian" and "The Last of Us," it feels like he's dominating every screen. You can catch him in the rom-com "Materialists" right now, "Fantastic Four" and "Eddington" drop in July, and there was even a Pedro Pascal lookalike contest in New York that became a media event in its own right!

Pedro Pascal: on the left sitting in a chair, on the right sitting cross-legged — Pedro Pascal for Vanity Fair

But as Pedro reveals in his Vanity Fair interview, for years he faced rejection after rejection, worked restaurant jobs, and could barely afford a tiny apartment on the outskirts of New York. Friends bought him groceries, his close friend Sarah Paulson let him borrow her car whenever he needed to get somewhere.

The only living thing waiting for him at home was a pit bull named Greta that Pascal had rescued. "She saved my life," the actor says.

Pedro Pascal standing on a bed in a sweater and underwear — Pedro Pascal for Vanity Fair

He was convinced that if he didn't make it by 30, he'd have to give up on the acting dream he'd cherished since he was four years old. His older sister remembers: "When Pedro would say, 'I'll go to nursing school' or 'I'll teach theater,' we'd talk him out of it: 'No, no, no, no! You're too good!' The one thing we never let Pedro do was give up."

Pedro Pascal holding a magnifying glass and looking through it — Pedro Pascal for Vanity Fair

Now everything's different, and the cover says it all: Pedro Pascal is literally being carried by a crowd of people. "Everyone wants a piece of Pedro," reads the caption.

In one of the more playful shots from the spread, Pascal poses in a Prada sweater and socks... and no pants.

Pedro Pascal being carried in people's arms with Vanity Fair text above — Pedro Pascal on the cover of Vanity Fair

The photo shoot perfectly captured Pedro Pascal's dual nature: his ability to instantly switch from serious intensity to infectious playfulness. No wonder the shots immediately became meme material and sparked a wave of online jokes.

On the left Pedro Pascal stands with arms crossed against a mirror background where his back is reflected, on the right a man in a classic white shirt and bow tie stands facing the camera while reflected in the mirror wearing women's lingerie — Some saw a reference to a popular meme in this shot

In one of the shots, internet users spotted what looks like a reference to a famous meme. Did the photographer intentionally plan this as a reference, or was it just a coincidence? The mystery remains!