The 34-Year-Old Movie That Pedro Pascal Called “The Best Remake Of Anything”

Pedro Pascal has suddenly become one of the most sought-after stars in Hollywood today, and he sang the praises of a nearly 35-year-old remake from the 1990s. Though the actor has been working consistently since the mid-’90s, Pascal really broke onto the public stage in the role of Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones. He would continue to enhance his profile in other shows like Narcos and eventually the Star Wars series The Mandalorian. In recent years, Pascal has become a bona fide movie star, and has jumped onboard other major franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Pascal discussed some of his favorite films in an interview with Sky TV, and his choices ranged from established classics to more modern hits. As a student of the art himself, Pascal spent a lot of time dissecting the memorable performances in many of the films he talked about, and it’s clear that he has a keen eye for strong acting. One of the films that Pascal mentioned was actually a remake, and the star had high praise for the underrated ’90s movie. Pascal himself is starring in a re-imagining of The Fantastic Four, so he’s no stranger to remakes.

Why Pedro Pascal Thinks Scorsese’s Cape Fear Is The Best Ever Remake

Pedro Pascal Praised The Performance Of Juliette Lewis

Though he didn’t spend a lot of time in the video discussing the 1991 remake of Cape Fear, Pedro Pascal did have a very particular reason for calling it “the best remake of anything that I’ve ever seen.” While talking about the Scorsese classic, Pascal honed in on the performance of a young Juliette Lewis, comparing her naturalistic acting to Marlon Brando. Still amazed nearly 35 years later, Pascal said “the strangeness of her performance, the honesty of it, honestly just blowing my mind.” Having experienced the movie when it was new, Pascal felt the full impact of the remake.

In his comments, Pascal proved himself to be a true student of acting, and it’s telling that he focused in on an underappreciated aspect of the remake. While a lot of praise has gone to the performance of Robert De Niro as the villainous Max Cady, Lewis’ brilliant and controversial turn as Danielle Bowden is often overshadowed. Scorsese’s remake of Cape Fear is bombastic and over-the-top, but Lewis’ performance feels eerily human. She’s the representation of innocence in the story, while the adults are all tainted by their own forms of corruption.

Is Pascal Right About Cape Fear?

Cape Fear Might Be One Of The Best Remakes, Though It Doesn’t Take The Top Spot

Pedro Pascal is obviously a fan of the remake of Cape Fear, though he may have exaggerated a bit when calling it the best remake of all time. Scorsese’s version certainly adds something new to the original story by author John D. MacDonald, and it even modernizes the classic film from the ’60s. However, it still misses the mark in a few areas, and hasn’t aged as well as other hits from the early 1990s. 1991’s Cape Fear is an excellent film, and certainly one of Scorsese’s best, but it didn’t have much to improve upon the ’60s version.

The best remakes often address issues with the original film, or update aspects that were poorly-executed or dated, but the original Cape Fear is a nearly flawless classic. Scorsese certainly didn’t do the story a disservice by remaking it, but it misses out on the “best remake of all time” label largely because it wasn’t as necessary as other films. Scorsese has remade several films in his career, and Cape Fear ranks somewhere in the middle. The Departed is a sly remake of the Hong Kong film, Infernal Affairs, and is arguably his best reimagining.

The Dream Pairing Between An Actor & Director

Though Pascal may have been off when he called Cape Fear the best remake ever, he certainly makes a good case for working with Martin Scorsese in the future. Pascal may be starring in flashy blockbusters, but he has proven himself to be a talented performer with real dramatic chops. Furthermore, Pascal clearly understands what makes a Martin Scorsese movie so unique, and his acting would gel perfectly with the former’s directing style. While Scorsese is known for so much more than his crime films, Pascal’s turn on shows like Narcos is a great illustration of his gangster chops.

However, Pedro Pascal is also such a versatile actor that he could fit nearly any role that the director could throw at him with relative ease. If Scorsese continues to make films, it seems inevitable that his path will cross with Pascal’s on some upcoming project.