Editor’s note: The below mentions sexual assault and domestic abuse.

Margaret Atwood may be best known for her seminal novel The Handmaid’s Tale, but the prolific writer has six decades’ worth of published material under her belt. Given that repertoire, her works haven’t been brought to screen as often as one would expect. In a fun twist of fate, the same year that Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale debuted to widespread acclaim, a correspondingly visceral adaptation of Atwood’s 1996 book hit Netflix.

Directed by Mary Harron (American Psycho) and written by Sarah Polley (Women Talking), the Canadian miniseries Alias Grace fictionalizes the life of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon), a notoriously controversial historical figure. Harron and Polley magnify Atwood’s scathing analysis into an enthralling psychological thriller ripe with impeccable suspense, lush subtlety, and fraught curiosity.

What Is ‘Alias Grace’ About?

In 1843, 16-year-old Irish immigrant Grace Marks and her fellow servant, James McDermott (Kerr Logan), were convicted of murdering their wealthy Canadian employer, Thomas Kinnear (Paul Gross), and his housekeeper-slash-lover, Nancy Montgomery (Anna Paquin). McDermott was executed, but the court commuted Grace’s death sentence to life in prison. Three decades later, Grace received a formal pardon and vanished like smoke in the wind.

Debate still ripples over whether Grace was an accessory in McDermott’s vicious double homicide, an active perpetrator, or an unaware bystander McDermott kidnapped and framed as a scheming mastermind. Atwood’s creative liberties embrace the true crime case’s turbulent economic backdrop and the symbolic potential behind the verdict’s unsettling ambiguity. Alias Grace offers no definitive answers; even the details Grace describes as indisputable fact could be fabricated.

Regardless, the events inform the outlook of this “celebrated murderess” — and her father’s childhood abuse, her mother’s traumatic death, and her younger siblings depending upon her as a financial provider, strike too close to home to suspend disbelief. Grace’s employers enjoy their comforts while her sore, sweaty muscles scrub floors, any complaints locked behind her closed teeth. Grace repeats such obedience during her sanatorium days and earns special privileges for behaving as composed and articulate as decorum dictates.

‘Alias Grace’ Combines History, Speculation, and Biting Critique

Underneath Grace’s studiously neutral expressions, however, lies astute intelligence and seething resentment. Household after household, she witnesses how predatory men corner, assault, and kill women in a casual and remorseless cycle. One privileged son sweeps Grace’s only friend, the rebellious Mary Whitney (Rebecca Liddiard), off her feet. Once she’s pregnant, he abandons her. Desperate, knowing her tarnished reputation is an unmarried worker’s death sentence, Mary risks an illegal abortion and dies from mutilation and blood loss. Grace comprehends the agonizing rhythm of her Puritanical world — which some women uphold for their own security or superiority — long before it commodifies her into a sensationalized, malleable blank slate upon which to project patriarchal misogyny.

Regardless of Grace’s guilt or innocence, every reporter, judge, and civilian twists her testimony to suit their contradictory agendas. For some, she’s a propaganda cautionary tale: a sinful seductress who violated her subservient role. Those campaigning for her exoneration paint her as a guileless and pure victim. Bored socialites gawk because they crave thrilling entertainment. As for her mental and physical distress, consider yourself unsurprised that the doctors and penitentiary wards who brutally torture and rape Grace dismiss her as hysterical — the 19th century’s favorite catch-all diagnosis for women whose pain and fury defy an oppressive system.

Harron and Polley contrast how Victorian restraints warp Grace into a cultural lightning rod with the subversive opening image of her staring at her reflection. Grace’s identity as a working-class immigrant teenager navigating layered prejudices (class, gender, religion, xenophobia) illuminates why she’s offered up like a buffet feast. Everyone wants to pin this intriguing anomaly on their walls like a display insect. Yet Grace denies anyone access to her true self; they have no right to her last unmarred, private fragment. Even Grace’s unreliable narration invites the audience in yet holds them at a distance, evading facts when it matters most. She remains a self-contained mystery as painstakingly patchwork as Atwood’s quilt motif.

‘Alias Grace’ Is an Enthralling and Elusive Tragedy

Image via Netflix

If Grace indeed got away with murder, was the act born of cruelty or because she saw violence as the only way to express resistance? Was she akin to the trapped animal that gnaws its leg off to escape — her survival instincts and cumulative rage misdirected? Either disquieting way, Atwood’s interpretation manipulates psychiatrist Simon Jordan (Edward Holcroft). Although he presumes himself kind, he falls for his preconceived, constructed fantasy of a delicate creature who needs white-knight protection, and his sexual violence still explodes like an inevitable bomb. Jordan’s infatuated lust is another form of imprisonment; Grace’s sly rejection is the best justice she can seize.

Polley’s reverence for Atwood’s lyrical prose and resonant critiques shines through her superb translation. Harron’s adept hand for violence and satire lends itself to a psychological miasma — the laser-focused close-ups, the dread permeating like walls closing in. Piece by piece, the mesmerizing Gadon embodies a woman with manifold depth. Her straight-backed, opaque poise and piercing, soulful eyes attest to a subjugated child who’s never had the luxury of naivety, as well as a discerning, lonely adult whose safety depends upon satisfying performative mandates. All this said, one does wish for a multifaceted tableau that isn’t as white-centric. Even so, Alias Grace haunts viewers like the hushed murmurs of “murderess” trail Grace’s steps.

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Alias Grace

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2017 – 2017-00-00

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CBC Television

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Mary Harron

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• 
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  Edward Holcroft

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  Mrs. Quenell

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Dancing With the Stars pro Sasha Farber has had a busy few years in the romance department.

The dancer has been linked to three high-profile women: longtime love and fellow DWTS pro Emma Slater, Bachelorette alum Jenn Tran and Pretty Little Liars star Janel Parrish.

“I hate dating. But it takes like a sec, you got to meet the person. There’s a lot that goes into when you want to find someone special,” Farber said on the “Casual Chaos” podcast in January 2026, noting that DWTS has a history of showmances turning into real relationships. “[On the show], you’re just thrown in. ‘Let’s go. Hi, nice to meet you. OK, we are going to rub hips. We are going to dip. We are going to do this. I want to get in your face here. You have to really look at me.’”

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Related: Is Janel Parrish Dating ‘Dancing With the Stars’ Alum Sasha Farber? 

After Hallmark star Janel Parrish and estranged husband Chris Long separated, fans have wondered whether she sparked a romance with former Dancing With the Stars pro Sasha Farber. “She’s still got it @janelparrish 🔥,” Farber wrote via Instagram on April 9, 2026, sharing footage of the pair dancing together on a sidewalk. Parrish replied, “Thanks […]

Here’s a look at where each of Farbers’ relationships stands — and how they unfolded:

Emma Slater: From Co-Stars to Exes Who Stayed Close (2011-2024)

Farber and Slater met in 2009 and started dating in 2011. Three years in, they paused the romance but kept working together on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars.

In a December 2014 Glamour interview, the U.K. native opened up about their bond beyond a romantic relationship.

“It goes through moments, but I think the world of Sasha. I really do,” she said. “I wouldn’t have been so close to him for three years of my life. He’s just the best person. I don’t think we’re supposed to finish together. I think there are other people that might make us both individually happy, but I’m always going to be his best friend.”

The two reconnected in 2015 and Farber proposed on DWTS in October 2016. The couple wed in 2018. They split in February 2023 and finalized their divorce the following year.

Despite the breakup, Farber and Slater have stayed friendly. In a TikTok shared by Slater in March 2026, Farber mouthed, “Your ex-husband is so attractive,” and Slater responded, “But you’re my ex-husband.” After fans criticized the chummy dynamic, Slater  fired back.

“If you can’t handle that exes can be mature and can be friends, I’m sending you love and positive vibes but I also know it’s not my problem to solve. Meant with love, I’ve just healed, moved on from that,” she wrote.

Jenn Tran: A ‘DWTS’ Romance That Quickly Fizzled (2024-2025)

After Tran’s engagement to Devin Strader collapsed following her season of The Bachelorette, she joined season 33 of DWTS and was paired with Farber. Romance rumors took off when Farber called Tran “babe” in a TikTok video.

Tran later credited Farber with helping her cope with the public fallout from her breakup.

“He kept reminding me that it’s the stuff that’s not online that really matters, It’s your friends and family who know you the best that really matters,” she told People in November 2024. “Right after the breakup, I was going through a lot of stuff being said online and stuff being spilled out, and I had to just turn my phone off.”

She added, “Sasha really helped ground me and tell me that it’s my friends and family who really matter at the end of the day and everything’s going to blow over on social media and just keep doing me because, at the end of the day, I only have myself, right?”

After Tran was eliminated in week 6, the two kept spending time together — and Tran admitted she was crashing on Farber’s couch. Us Weekly confirmed in December 2024 that the pair were officially dating.

The pair broke up by June 2025, when a source told Us Farber and Tran are “no longer seeing each other.” The insider added that Tran is “focusing hard on her studies” in PA school and “not letting anything else get in the way of her goals right now.”

Janel Parrish: A Parking Lot Dance Turns Into Something More (April 2025)

In a clip posted to Farber’s Instagram in April 2026,  the Hallmark actress appeared alongside the dancer as the two danced in a parking lot.

“She’s still got it @janelparrish 🔥,” Farber captioned the video, which Parrish reshared alongside the caption, “When you ask @sashafarber1 to teach you a dance in the parking lot.”

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Days later, Parrish confirmed her separation from husband Chris Long after eight years of marriage.

Parrish and Farber both previously appeared on season 19 of DWTS in 2014, when Parrish was partnered with pro Val Chmerkovskiy and Farber was part of the show’s troupe. Almost a decade later, Parrish and Farber hard-launched their romance in April 2026.

This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. 

The entertainment space has been flooded with haunting images of what a post-apocalypse might look like for years. From visceral big-screen entries like 28 Days Later and World War Z to television shows like The Walking Dead, audiences have become accustomed to the dire and urgent tone that these productions have associated with the end of civilization as we know it. And to be clear, these new techniques have been very effective in re-energizing a somewhat dormant genre at the turn of the century. Still, there is room in the space for other things. There is a limited series streaming on MGM+ that takes a different approach to The End of Days.

Earth Abides is based on George R. Stewart‘s sci-fi book of the same name and stars Alexander Ludwig as Ish and Jessica Frances Dukes as Emma, two survivors of a worldwide plague that has killed off 99% of humanity. What show creator and director Todd Komarnicki has done completely subverts the typical tropes of the genre as we have come to understand it in the last 25 years and instead inserts some hope and a nurturing environment that spans several decades and generations. If the long-running NBC hit show This Is Us and genre-defining AMC smash The Walking Dead were to have a lovechild, it would look a lot like Earth Abides.

Notably, the series was conceived as a limited series with its story fully contained in its current run, and there are no plans for a second season.

What Is ‘Earth Abides’ About?

When Ish comes to after being in a weeks-long coma from a venomous snake bite, he finds the world’s population has succumbed to a quickly spreading plague, and there are only a handful of people left alive (Yes, it does sound like Rick Grimes’s predicament in The Walking Dead or Jim in 28 Days Later). After a bad experience with survivors in Las Vegas and then several days on his own, he miraculously comes across Emma, and together, they fall in love and begin rebuilding with the little resources they have left.

They have children together at their San Lupo commune and, over many years, take in newcomers and form a commune with the intent of surviving and thriving in a new world they build together. The population of their new community begins to swell after they selectively allow new survivors to be a part of a new beginning. As much as Earth Abides works to keep the show’s mood different from the sadness and melancholy of other post-apocalyptic entries, it doesn’t pretend that challenges don’t exist.

‘Earth Abides’ Accentuates the Positives, but Also Addresses the Negatives of Starting Over

Earth Abides is unique in focusing primarily on the rewarding aspects of rebuilding civilization, including raising a family free from social distortion and forming lifelong friendships with like-minded survivors. It is an example of what can happen if the humans remaining after a cataclysmic event unite for the mutual good of a new society instead of trying to conquer other groups, as seen in The Walking Dead and others, and hordes of flesh-eating zombies that have also become the post-apocalyptic threat du jour. But to be clear, it is far from all rainbows and gumdrops in a depleted and broken world, and not everyone will fall in line with the way Ish and Emma try to maintain peace and order at San Lupo.

There is still malfeasance among some of the survivors, which is consistent with human nature. The edge of Earth Abides comes from the tension created every time Ish and Emma are feeling out newcomers and their true motivations. For instance, in Episode 5, a newcomer named Charlie (Aaron Tveit) initially appears to be a Godsend as he is able to locate and successfully pull water from an underground well when they are running low. But after several weeks, he is revealed to be a rapist. Ish, Emma, and the senior elders of the commune members, including Jorge (Rodrigo Fernandez-Stoll), Maurine (Elyse Levesque), Molly (Luisa D’Oliveira), and Ezra (Birkett Turton), decide that the penalty for what he has done is death. Ish savagely beats him with a hammer. Despite an overarching theme of love and kindness, the ugliness of men isn’t ignored or underplayed; the world is still savage, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely hopeless.

Earth Abides is available to stream on MGM+ in the U.S.

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2024 – 2024-00-00

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Todd Komarnicki

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Bronwen Hughes, Rachel Leiterman, Stephen Campanelli

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The Hills star Audrina Patridge honestly hopes her former costar Spencer Pratt becomes the next mayor of Los Angeles.

“I’m actually excited,” Partridge, 40, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, May 1, while attending Calamigos Ranch Resort & Spa’s Leading Hotels of the World accreditation celebration. “He impressed me. I listened to some of his interviews, and at first when I heard, I was like, ‘Wait, is he really doing it? Is it a joke? Is it real?’ But he is, and he is very intelligent, and I think that he would make a lot of change to L.A. and he would follow through with what he said.”

She continued, “So I’m rooting for him.”

As a resident of Orange County, Partridge is unable to vote in the upcoming mayoral election. Still, she hopes her former reality TV castmate can “bring back” the Los Angeles she remembers from 15 years ago.

Related: ‘Laguna Beach’ Cast Reacts to Spencer Pratt’s Bid for L.A. Mayor

Jenna Bush Hager couldn’t help but ask Lauren Conrad, Stephen Colletti and Kristin Cavallari their thoughts on Spencer Pratt running to become the mayor of Los Angeles. While Conrad and Colletti, both 40, dodged the question by explaining that they live in Orange County and aren’t eligible to vote in L.A., Cavallari, 39, offered an […]

“He’s very smart. He knew how to work reality TV. I know politics is very different — but I mean, he seems very intelligent and is well educated on what he needs to do,” she said. “Bring back L.A., what it was 15 years ago when it was fun to go out. It’s so different now.”

Pratt, 42, announced his mayoral campaign on January 7 — one year after the devastating L.A. wildfires destroyed his and wife Heidi Montag’s home.

“The system in Los Angeles isn’t struggling, it’s fundamentally broken,” the former reality TV star said while speaking at the “They Let Us Burn” public demonstration. “It is a machine designed to protect the people at the top and the friends they exchange favors with while the rest of us drown in toxic smoke and ash. Business as usual is a death sentence for Los Angeles, and I’m done waiting for someone to take real action.”

The controversial candidate is among 13 challengers trying to unseat incumbent Karen Bass. If successful, Pratt will join a growing list of reality TV stars-turned-politicians, including Real World’s Sean Duffy, now the secretary of transportation, and Celebrity Apprentice’s Donald Trump, currently the president of the United States.

Like Trump, 79, Pratt’s campaign is already causing controversy after he released an ad filmed outside the homes of two of his opponents — Bass and Los Angeles City Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Raman condemned Pratt for filming outside her house, calling it an “unnecessary and reckless” political stunt, while Mayor Bass accused her rival of doing his “best Trump impression.”

The controversy only seemed to help Pratt, who received an infusion of campaign cash from former Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeanie Buss, a bump in poll numbers and an increase in celebrity endorsements. Political commentator and former The View cohost Meghan McCain has predicted Pratt will win the mayoral race.

Pratt’s sister Stephanie Pratt, however, has condemned her brother’s political ambitions, calling him “unqualified” and “inexperienced.”

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“Spencer has done great work for the Palisades,” she wrote via X in February after her brother announced his candidacy. “But LA does not need another unqualified and inexperienced mayor. A vote for him is a vote for stupidity.” (Us reached out to Spencer at the time for comment.)

In an exclusive interview with Us, Spencer spoke candidly about his political goals.

“Winning the mayor’s race will be a victory for truth and transparency, which is what I’ve been fighting for this whole year,” he said in January. “The end goal is the same: to shine a light into the darkness.”

The stars brought plenty of style — and the necessary over-the-top fascinators — to the 2026 Kentucky Derby.

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The famed equestrian race was held on Saturday, May 2, at Churchill Downs in Kentucky, where multiple celebs including Melissa Joan Hart, Odette Annable and Jaxson Dart stole the show with their formal ‘fits.

Hart donned a teal, halter gown with a silver headpiece, while NFL quarterback Dart looked dapper in a white pinstripe suit. Annable, for her part, rocked a yellow dress as she attended with Hallmark costar Andrew Walker. Annable and Walker’s new movie, Kentucky Roses, is set at the horse race and premieres on TV later on Saturday.

Keep scrolling to see more stars’ best Derby looks:

Although Netflix might have hit a dud with the release of “Thrash,” starring “Bridgerton” alum Phoebe Dynevor, they might have struck gold with “Apex,” the streamer’s latest thriller starring Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton.

The movie starts off with Theron’s character, Sasha, and her husband, Tommy, played by Eric Bana. The two are rock climbers scaling the Norwegian cliffs together during inclement weather. Fans of Eric Bana should take note: he doesn’t stick around for long, and he literally leaves Sasha hanging.

Five months later, Sasha is driving through Australia by herself. She’s come to spread Tommy’s ashes in his homeland, but it’s pretty clear that things are not going to go as planned. She runs into Ben, played by Egerton, while stopping at a gas station to buy a map to get her through the remote spot she’s looking for.

Although Ben is helpful and familiar with the area, horror movie fans’ alarm bells are already ringing. That’s why it’s not too much of a surprise when she hikes through the remote area, only to run straight into Ben. It’s not too much of a surprise that he knew where to find her, considering he’s the one who gave her directions, but it is a little disorienting to see how quickly he shifts into a murderous psychopath, ordering her to run so he can hunt her down.

Although Sasha seems to give him the slip, Ben seems to track her down with an almost Michael Myers-like impossibility. Eventually, he does trap her in his cave, where the bodies of his previous victims can be found. Sasha knows what fate awaits her, but can she escape?

Taron Egerton Portrays A Convincing Psycho In ‘Apex’

I won’t give any spoilers here, but I will say it’s a pretty predictable movie. Now, that’s not to say that it’s a bad movie. The chase scenes are solid, and the movie never seems to drag. Set at just over 90 minutes, it’s not bloated, and the fast pace makes the movie fly by.

Although Ederton’s acting can be a little bit cartoonish at times, he fully embraces his inner psycho and provides a perfect counter to Theron, who plays it straight. There are times when her “Mad Max: Fury Road” survival skills seem to come into play,  as Theron revealed that she did her own stunts.

“Our crew delivered a really impressive movie, and yours truly did some stunts and action — without a harness, sometimes,” Theron said at Netflix’s 2025 upfront presentation on Wednesday, May 14. “Don’t tell Netflix.”

“It’s actually a miracle that I’m here today,” she continued. “‘Apex’ only wrapped like a week ago, so I’m fresh off the mountain. I still have some Australian dirt under this pretty manicure, and my cute boot is hiding a fractured toe, and I can go on and on and on, but I won’t.”

Charlize Theron Performed Her Own Stunts

Back in February, director Baltasar Kormákur gave high praise to the film’s stars while speaking to Netflix’s Tudum. “Working in the rugged, beautiful terrains of Australia with three of the world’s most talented, dedicated actors in Charlize Theron, Taron Egerton, and Eric Bana is such a joy — even as I put them through the gauntlet in this unique survivor story,” he said at the time.

The real star of the movie is easily the Australian cinematography, which makes it much more enjoyable to watch. For fans of Charlize Theron, though, they will be pleased to see her continue doing her own stunts at age 49.

In 2017, Sam Hargrave, the stunt coordinator for “Atomic Blonde,” told PEOPLE magazine that Theron trained extensively in martial arts to perform her own stunts for the movie.

“The entire stunt team was very pleasantly surprised at her overall physical ability,” he said. “She was extremely tough; she did 95 percent of all of her own fighting.”

‘Apex’ Is Now Streaming On Netflix

During her appearance at Netflix’s 2025 upfront presentation, Theron said that filming “Apex” was even harder than filming “The Old Guard 2,” calling it “one of the most incredible experiences of my life.”

“I actually never thought that I would be able to outdo the action that I did in ‘Old Guard 2,’ which is coming out in a couple of weeks,” she said. “Back to me almost dying, I’m really proud to share a little of this mammoth movie that I got to work on, and I have to say I was very lucky to work alongside the very talented Taron Egerton.”

Every decade, Hollywood finds a few actors that the industry is absolutely obsessed with, and audiences start seeing them absolutely everywhere. Over the course of the 2020s, one of those actors has been Pedro Pascal. Born José Pedro Balmaceda Pascal, this Chilean-American star had his breakout role as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO classic Game of Thrones. He’s gone nowhere but up from there. From The Mandalorian to The Fantastic Four: First Steps to The Last of Us, Pascal has become an essential face in virtually every major movie franchise in Hollywood.

Like any great actor, though, Pascal also has a pretty long list of severely underappreciated projects. Among them are forgotten TV shows from well before he was a star, like MTV’s Downtown, auteur-driven short films like Pedro Almodóvar‘s Strange Way of Life, and future cult classics like Freaky Tales. Whether they have been forgotten or simply slipped under most people’s radar, these projects are irrefutable proof that if there’s one thing people can’t say about Pedro Pascal, it’s that he doesn’t have range.

1

‘The Uninvited’ (2024)

Image via Rosebud Pictures

Nadia Conners‘ directorial debut, The Uninvited is a dramedy about a stranger who crashes a party, twisting a small gathering upside down and triggering a delightful comedy of errors. Pascal plays Lucian, a Hollywood star, helping to elevate an already very intriguing character study that also stars Walton Goggins and Elizabeth Reaser. It may not be one of the best comedies of the 2020s, but The Uninvited sure does deserve a lot more love than it typically gets nowadays — which is to say, almost none at all.

It’s a thoughtful, beautifully human story about Hollywood’s obsession with aging and traditional gender roles. It establishes Conners as a fascinating voice to look out for going forward, and it features one of Pascal’s most seductive performances to date. It’s a bit too reliant on clichés to call it a masterpiece, but with the phenomenal Pascal performance that it offers and its fun, indie vibe, it’s a decently smart and emotionally resonant satire that even those who aren’t Pedro Pascal completionists should check out.

2

‘Animal’ (2021–2022)

Image via Netflix

There are many Netflix-original nature documentaries for fans of the genre to enjoy, and one of the most awfully underappreciated is Animal. Each of its eight episodes is narrated by a different actor, with a stacked cast that includes Anthony Mackie, Bryan Cranston, Rebel Wilson, and — of course — the man of the hour, Pedro Pascal himself. The episode that Pascal narrates is the fourth and final episode of the series’s first season, “Octopus,” which follows the giant Pacific octopus and how it leverages its intelligence to survive in the changing seas and oceans.

With some gorgeous, vibrantly colorful footage; exciting, well-researched explanations of the behavior of the giant Pacific octopus and other cephalopods, like the cuttlefish; Jasha Klebe‘s fantastic music; and Pascal’s excellent narration, the episode — just like Animal as a whole — is a must-see for lovers of animals, the ocean, and nature. Come for Pedro Pascal, stay for the stunning visuals and fascinating insights into the ocean’s fauna.

3

‘Lights Out’ (2011)

Image via FX

Holt McCallany stars in the boxing drama Lights Out as Patrick “Lights” Leary, a former heavyweight champion from New Jersey who is considering a comeback. Pedro Pascal appears in four of the show’s 13 episodes as Omar “The Armenian Avenger” Assarian, a young up-and-coming boxer who’s the Leary family gym’s big hope for a new champion after Lights’ retirement. He’s not a huge character, but his arc from a cocky prospect to a man able to accept the fear inherent to stepping in the ring after a big loss is one of the series’ most interesting elements.

It’s one of the best boxing shows out there, laser-focused on the psychological toll that naturally comes with boxing. McCallany is flawless in the lead role, the boxing scenes are phenomenally filmed, and the airtight writing is fantastic, but Pascal’s character and performance really shouldn’t be taken for granted, either. He shows admirable depth and range in what’s essentially a relatively small secondary role, bringing a lot of thematic sharpness to what’s easily one of the most terribly underappreciated sports shows of the 21st century.

4

‘Strange Way of Life’ (2023)

Image via BTeam Pictures

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Pedro Almodóvar is perhaps the most popular and hyper-acclaimed Spanish filmmaker of modern times, a master of his craft who, for the vast majority of his career, has only worked in Spanish. That changed in 2020, however, when he directed his first English-language picture: the short film The Human Voice, starring Tilda Swinton. He followed that up with another one of the greatest short films of the 2020s: Strange Way of Life, a Western starring Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke as two gunslingers who reunite after more than two decades apart.

Almodóvar came up with Strange Way of Life as a sort of response to Brokeback Mountain. Like it, it’s a queer Western that studies masculinity at its very core, but sprinkled with the kind of carnal yearning and colorful sense of seduction that characterizes Almodóvar’s filmography. Pascal and Hawke are both incredible in the lead roles, and the chemistry they share is so off the charts that it’s enough to make this 31-minute-long film worth watching. Tender, romantic, tantalizingly beautiful, and thematically complex, it’s a must-see for all those who love Westerns, romantic dramas, and/or any of the creatives involved with the project — including Pascal.

5

‘Downtown’ (1999–2000)

Image via MTV

Back in the 1990s, MTV did a lot of experimentation with animation. One of the results was Downtown, a sitcom following the everyday lives of a group of young adults living in the East Village of New York City. It’s one of the best animated series for adults, a criminally underrated classic that was inspired by Ralph Bakshi‘s films from the early 1970s. Designed to serve as a time capsule of ’90s New York culture going forward, Downtown has indeed aged beautifully as such.

Although MTV canceled the series after only one season due to a wide variety of reasons, it nevertheless remains as one of the best adult-oriented cartoons of the ’90s. Pascal, back when he was still credited in projects as Pedro Balmaceda, appears as a nameless voice in the third episode of the show, “Hot Spot.” Though Pascal’s voice is instantly recognizable even over two decades later, it’s a pretty small role. Nevertheless, it’s one imbued with nostalgia, and if it gets fans of the actor to discover the forgotten charm of Downtown, then it was fully worth it.

6

‘Freaky Tales’ (2024)

Image via Lionsgate

Directed by Captain Marvel‘s Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, Freaky Tales is a film that feels like it was designed in a lab to become a beloved cult classic — and that’s meant as a compliment. A love letter to Oakland, California, and late ’80s pop culture, this exquisitely fun B-picture features several interconnected stories. One of those follows Pedro Pascal’s Clint, a man trying to escape his former life of crime who gets pulled back into the game after someone kills his pregnant wife. It’s one of Pascal’s most complex and poignant roles, and it’s a shame that it has gone under so many people’s radar.

Pascal’s deeply sad yet charming performance, and his fascinatingly mysterious and compelling storyline, are both among the best elements of Freaky Tales. On top of that, the film is visually delightful, full of thrilling action sequences, and flawlessly directed. If this is Boden and Fleck’s attempt at redemption after the divisive flick that was Captain Marvel, then it was an entirely effective one. There are several crime movies from the last 10 years destined to become cult classics, and Freaky Tales is right up there as one of the most certain.

7

‘If Beale Street Could Talk’ (2018)

Image via Annapurna Pictures

Barry Jenkins followed up the tremendous artistic achievement that was the Oscar-winning Moonlight with a film that, though far more overlooked, is every bit as tender, beautiful, and nearly-perfect. If Beale Street Could Talk is based on the novel by James Baldwin, and it follows a young woman, Tish, who seeks to clear the name of her wrongly prosecuted lover, Fonny, and prove his innocence before the birth of their child.

It’s one of the most underrated drama masterpieces of the 2020s, full of engaging characters played by an all-star cast that — of course — includes Pedro Pascal. Appearing in a single scene toward the end of the movie, the actor plays Pietro, the partner of the woman who falsely accused Fonny of rape. Yes, it’s a small role, but Pascal gives it his all, perfectly holding his own against Regina King, who won an Oscar for her performance. Quiet and dramatic, his performance may be one of the smallest of his modern-day career, but it also happens to be one of his strongest.