'The Last of Us' star Pedro Pascal's San Antonio roots

San Antonians are claiming Chilean American actor Pedro Pascal as one of their own and for good reason.

Driving the news: Pascal, who is also known for his roles in "The Mandalorian" and "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," is in the spotlight for playing Joel in the hit HBO series "The Last of Us."

Context: The show, which is based on a 2013 video game, takes place 20 years after a global pandemic caused by a fungal infection.

• Nearly 6.4 million viewers tuned in to the third episode on Sunday, according to Variety.
• Pascal has garnered praise for his leading role. Wired called him the "new face of Sci-Fi"; another publication declared "Pedromania."

Flashback: But in the 1980s, he was a San Antonio kid sneaking into movie theaters.

• Last year, he told MySA.com that he and his family fled the military dictatorship in Chile and were granted political asylum in Denmark soon after he was born. Then the family immigrated to San Antonio, where he lived until he was 11.
• He attended Colonies North Elementary on the north side and was a competitive swimmer.

• Pascal remembered sneaking around local movie theaters to see early 1980s classics like "Poltergeist" and the R-rated "Cujo."

Tacos are always a Texas topic of contention and Pascal made his stance clear in a 2022 interview with the Austin American-Statesman during South by Southwest.

• "It's San Antonio, por favor," he said.

What's next: Pascal will host this weekend's "Saturday Night Live" on NBC at 10:30pm.