Pedro Pascal Played a Key Role In This 8-Year-Old Video Game (& It Wasn't The Last of Us)

Pedro Pascal is one of the most popular names in show business at the moment. He gained widespread attention with his role as Oberyn Martell and expanded his fan base further with a starring role in The Mandalorian. More recently, Pascal took on the role of a beloved video game character: Joel in HBO's The Last of Us.

Pascal's portrayal of Joel has been widely praised for emotional depth and authenticity, with fans of the game recognizing the performance as a strong interpretation of the character. What many may not realize is that this wasn’t Pascal's first involvement with video games. Years before The Last of Us, he played a key role in another major title.

Pedro Pascal Was in Dishonored 2's DLC

His Appearance in 2017's Death of an Outside Was Fantastic

The Dishonored series, developed by Arkane Studios, offers one of the most distinctive stealth-action experiences in modern gaming. Set in a richly imagined steampunk world with heavy influences from Victorian London and whaling-era aesthetics, the game combines immersive storytelling, supernatural abilities, and significant player-driven choices, with nearly every aspect of the game world adapting as a result.

While Pedro Pascal doesn't appear in the original Dishonored, he plays a pivotal role in the Dishonored 2 expansion, Death of the Outsider. Pascal lends his voice to Paolo, a charismatic but dangerous leader of the Howler Gang, a prominent criminal organization featured in the game. Paolo is a vicious, intimidating antagonist, a sharp contrast to recent roles like Joel, which helped solidify Pascal’s reputation as "TV’s dad."

Though he's often perceived as a ruthless gang boss, Paolo is far more than a common thug. Intelligent, persuasive, and deeply influential among the local populace, he serves more as a “thief of the people” than a kingpin. His methods are brutal, but his intentions reflect a genuine desire to improve life in the city. Paolo is a nuanced character who really highlights Pascal’s voice acting range.

Even though he's been in the spotlight in recent years, Pedro Pascal’s involvement in the Dishonored series has flown relatively under the radar. That lack of attention could be seen as a testament to how good Pascal really is. He perfectly embodies the character of Paolo, and because of that, many players didn't realize they were hearing a familiar voice.

Dishonored 2 Is the Only Video Game Pedro Pascal Has Appeared In

Many Actors Star in Video Games, But Pedro Pascal Only Lent His Voice Once

It's not unusual for well-known actors to appear in video games. The Fable series is famous for its all-star voice cast, and Hollywood superstars like Keanu Reeves have appeared in games like Enter the Matrix and Cyberpunk 2077. Even indie games, like 2021's The Artful Escape, have featured well-known actors such as Lena Headey and Mark Strong.

What’s surprising is that Pedro Pascal’s voice work in Dishonored 2 remains his only video game appearance. Despite spending years taking smaller roles in film and television, he hasn’t done much voice acting. Pascal's lone video game role came was in 2017, which was after Game of Thrones but before The Mandalorian, so it was at the time when his star was on the rise.

Pascal has admitted that he's very familiar with modern games, but he has said that gaming was a part of his childhood. "I don't have the skill," he explained. "I was good at like, Super Mario Bros., late '80s, Punch-Out!!!, that stuff. Even earlier, we didn't even have Atari, we had Colecovision. It was Mousetrap and Frogger, all that stuff."

It doesn't seem likely that Pascal will return to video game voice acting, but it's certainly possible that he'll appear in more video game adaptations in the future. He could even appear in a live-action version of Dishonored, though the actor might not reprise his role as Paolo. Many fans have remarked that Pascal would be the perfect fit for Dishonored's main character, Corvo, a bodyguard who is framed for murder.

Whether Pascal will return to the world of Dishonored remains to be seen, but either way, his work in the second game is worth checking out. Paolo could've been a stock honorable character, but Pascal brought the character to life and transformed him into the most compelling part of Death of an Outsider.