Pedro Pascal's Six Tattoos and Their Meanings

Updated on 3 July 2024 at 14:40

Pedro Pascal is undoubtedly one of the biggest names in Hollywood right now, and for good reason. You might have seen him the emotionally complex and incredibly nuanced character of Joel Miller to life in HBO's live-action adaptation of the beloved eponymous game series, The Last of Us, or in highly-anticipated third instalment of Disney+'s The Mandalorian.

Most recently, Pascal hit headlines after snapshots from Ridley Scott's long-awaited sequel to Gladiator, starring Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington, were released. Fans drooled over pictures of Pascal as Roman general Acacius.

While he has been steadily building his acting resumé since the early aughts, his breakout performance as the fan-favourite anti-hero Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of Game of Thrones skyrocketed his career to new heights.

Phenomenal artistic abilities aside, Pascal's innate charismatic persona and incredible sense of humour have together cemented the actor as one of the most beloved celebrities out there. His new-found status has also led many fans to rediscover some of his old acting credits, shining a spotlight on Pascal's lesser-known-about tattoo collection.

Over the years, the actor has accumulated six tiny tattoos that we know of. Most are inked in seemingly obscure locations, like behind his ear or on his upper thigh, likely for professional reasons as they are far easier to cover up.

Since you, like many of us, might be wondering what his tattoos mean, we did some digging and rounded up Pascal's six tattoo designs. Keep reading to see a close-up and learn the inspiration behind each piece.

Pedro Pascal’s Bullseye Hand Tattoo

Pascal has a tiny bullseye doodle inked on the back of his left hand between his thumb and index finger. In a 2017 cover story for Shortlist magazine, the star revealed the source of inspiration for the bullseye design stems from his childhood. Growing up, he had the habit of doodling the concentric circles on his hand.

Pedro Pascal’s “VP” Wrist Tattoo

On the inside of his right wrist, Pascal has the letter "V," which curves into a "P" toward the end. The ink serves as a beautiful ode to his late mother, Veronica Pascal. In a now-deleted tweet, the actor confirmed that the tattoo is of his mother's signature.

In the November 2020 issue of People magazine, Pascal opened up about the pivotal role his mother played in his love for acting. He attributes his success to her immense support and belief in his dreams.

"She was always incredibly supportive, never a stage mom," he said, before going on to say, "None of [my success] would be real if it weren't for her." The star changed his professional name from Balmaceda, his father's last name, to Pascal, his mother's, soon after she passed away.

Pedro Pascal’s Behind-the-Ear Flower Tattoo

Behind Pascal's left ear is a beautiful flower design with a missing petal. It's a matching tattoo with his older sister, Javiera Balmaceda.

The actor is incredibly close with Balmaceda and often gives glimpses into their lives on social media. In an interview with HBO Max, he shared that she's the first person he calls with good news. In fact, Pascal called her to talk about the potential job opportunity on The Last of Us when he was in final casting talks.

Pedro Pascal’s Elephant Leg Tattoos

Pascal has a trio of tiny elephants in solid black ink scattered across his legs. Two are located on his right and left inner mid-thighs and the third is placed on his outer left thigh. Though the actor hasn't shared the significance behind the drawings, fans have long speculated that the identical tattoos likely represent his three siblings, with whom he shares a strong familial bond.

Ina Bansal is a contributor at PS, where she writes for the Beauty vertical.