Actor Pedro Pascal stole the show a little bit at the The Golden Globes, posting a photo that showed him embracing his agent, Franklin Latt, which sent his fans into raptures, especially those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Pascal was at The Golden Globes for his nomination in Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Series for his role as Joel in The Last of Us. While the award went to Kieran Culkin for his performance in the popular drama Succession, Pascal did not seem particularly phased.
People immediately noticed Pascal's playful outfit and the large black sling that accompanied it as the actor navigated the event with an injury. Keeping to the sense of whimsy in the outfit, Pascal had the nails of the injured hand painted with the letters "O-U-C-H."
But really, it was the photo with his agent, released on Pascal's Instagram, that had people talking about him even after the event was over.
Folks celebrated Pascal and Latt.
But the comments quickly took a turn as people interpreted the intimacy of their embrace in the photo.
A few referenced the practice of historians using "best friend," "roommate," or "buddy," to disguise queer relationships in the past.
Unrelated to speculation about Pascal's dating life, some people were caught off guard by...the sandals?
Someone familiar with fashion in Pascal's home country soon set folks right.
There was pushback to people's assumptions about Pascal's orientation from just this one picture.
Others chimed in with some key context, like the fact that Latt has a wife.
Someone came up with the most probable social dynamic, one that people of all orientations can empathize with.
This commenter wryly predicted this whole mess of interpretations from the get-go.
Pascal is noted for being physically affectionate with his male friends, hugging them and sometimes giving them cheek kisses. A refreshing breath of fresh air for the usually more uptight social rules for men in contemporary Hollywood.