A brief but awkward exchange between actors Pedro Pascal and Joaquin Phoenix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival has gone viral, after the former tried to save the latter from a PR headache by stopping him from performing an offensive gesture.
The incident occurred during the red carpet premiere of Eddington, the pair’s upcoming western horror film directed by Ari Aster. As the actors greeted fans and photographers, Phoenix raised his hand in a high wave—only for Pascal to quickly grab his arm and lower it.
Internet sleuths and news outlets scrambled to find out exactly what Pascal had told his colleague, going as far as to hire lip readers to figure out the nature of the exchange.
