Can Pedro Pascal Help Us Prevent Suicide?

"Eleven years ago, I wrote about the unlikeliest pair: Robin Williams, world-famous comic and actor, and my dad, Joel Premack - suburban lawn-mower-pusher, violinist, boat-shoe-wearer, and lover of Granny Smith apples. That year, Williams had died by suicide, capturing the attention of all who admired him as it seemed impossible that this larger-than-life figure could have taken his own life. Twenty-six years earlier, my dad died, also by suicide."

"Which brings me to Pedro Pascal, who is, in fact, no one's dad, but everyone's zaddy. Because I'm a contrarian to my core, I've generally ignored stories about Pascal, who seemingly everyone else is paying attention to, all the time. I can't tell you much about him, except what I now know: Pascal's mother died by suicide. So, I'm starting to pay attention."

"The night he first hosted Saturday Night Live was the anniversary of his mother's death. On "Fresh Air," he said: "It was obviously a sad anniversary for most of my adult life and for my family's life. I don't think I realized [the SNL date] until there was kind of, like, a post-it note announcement, in the way that SNL does, where they have the date, the host and the musical guest. And I realized that...I hadn't seen those numbers together outside of my mother"

Robin Williams and Joel Premack both died by suicide, one a famed actor and one a suburban father, leaving enduring grief and unanswered questions. Time has passed to the point that younger generations may not recognize Williams' roles, yet his death prompted anger and sadness for his children and frustration with an inadequate mental health system. Pedro Pascal revealed that his mother died by suicide and has spoken publicly about the impact. Pascal hosted Saturday Night Live on the anniversary of his mother's death and noticed the coincidence only through production scheduling. The narrator responds by paying closer attention to survivors' stories.

Read at Psychology Today