In a revealing interview with Vanity Fair, Pedro Pascal shared the emotional story of who was by his side during all his hardships before fame. Barely any work. Barely able to afford food. The passing of his mom. But his late dog, Gretta, was there to anchor him through grief and years of struggle.
She saved my life, that dog, because she gave me someone to go home to.
Pedro Pascal, Vanity Fair, June 2025
Their story began when Pascal was at his lowest, just six months after his mother’s death. He agreed to foster a puppy, and on the very first night, the dog jumped into bed with him. He recalled feeling the “warmth of this creature next to him” and knew instantly he would keep her. He named the Pitbull-mix ” Gretta,” after a character in the indie movie High Art. He wasn’t watching the film with his new pup, he was just cuddling with her as he listened through his wall while his neighbours watched it.
Gretta became his constant through the lean years, moving with him from a seventh-floor walk-up in the East Village to what he called a “shithole apartment in Red Hook” after 9/11. As he hustled for roles in regional theater, shipping off to cities across the country, Gretta was his one steady presence. She was the one who was there for the rejections, long before the world knew him as the Mandalorian and many now iconic characters.
Gretta, his steadfast friend for years, died at 12 years old right as Pascal landed his life-altering role in Game of Thrones. She saw him through the entire struggle but never got to experience the success and comfort he would find. This is a fact that still moves him to tears today. “I think about how poor I was when I had Gretta,” Pascal shared, his voice choked with emotion. “I think about the bougie life she would be leading with me now as opposed to then and I grieve, I really do.” Find out more about Gretta and Pedro Pascal’s pets.