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That Time Pedro Pascal Was a Hot Goth on NYPD Blue and Absolutely Killed It

That Time Pedro Pascal Was a Hot Goth on NYPD Blue and Absolutely Killed It
Image credit: globallookpress, ABC

Can someone take us back to that era?

You may know him as the Mandalorian, Joel from The Last of Us, or even Oberyn Martell from Game of Thrones, but do you know Pedro Pascal as the hot goth named Dio from NYPD Blue?

If you do, you're probably an OG fan who remembers the then-26-year-old Pascal channeling Wednesday Addams vibes in the iconic police procedural that ran for 12 seasons from 1992 to 2005. Today's HBO star appeared on NYPD Blue in 2001, in season 8, episode 9, titled Oh Golly Goth.

We wouldn't be too surprised if The Umbrella Academy 's Robert Sheehan was inspired by Pascal's Dio when he came up with the aesthetic for his character Klaus Hargreeves, because look at this.

Dio's real name on the show was Shane Morrissey, and he had his own way of talking to the cops, and the cops did not always pass the vibe check.

After his appearance on NYPD Blue, Pascal enjoyed a slow but steady career growth. In 2014, Game of Thrones happened, where Pascal portrayed Oberyn Martell, only to quickly rise to global fame when he was cast as Din Djarin in The Mandalorian, and enjoy even more fan love as Joel in The Last of Us, currently running on HBO Max.

The year 2023 also began for Pascal with an appearance on Saturday Night Live, where he hosted the Pedro Pascal/Coldplay episode.