‘Fear is the way they…’: Pedro Pascal urges Cannes to stand up to US political unrest

Eddington is a pandemic-era neo-Western set in a small New Mexico town. Pascal plays a mayor running against a struggling sheriff, played by Joaquin Phoenix. The story takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic, as local residents argue over mask rules and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Actors Austin Butler and Emma Stone also appear in the film, which is scheduled to be released in the US on 18 July.

Pascal, who also stars in The Last of Us, was asked about immigration policies under US President Donald Trump. He said the topic was too difficult to answer in full. “I’m not informed enough,” he said, according to Reuters. “I want people to be safe and to be protected.”

Trump’s policies on immigration have included actions against undocumented people and some legal residents. These measures have faced protests and legal challenges.

Director Ari Aster, known for his earlier films Hereditary and Midsommar, said his aim with Eddington was to reflect how the United States felt during the pandemic and how it feels now.

“It feels bad and I’m very worried,” Aster said. “We’re on a dangerous road and I feel like we’re living through an experiment that is going, it’s gone wrong,” he told Reuters.