Why some fans mistakenly thought Vanessa Kirby was 'thirsty' for Pedro Pascal during interview
The duo were seen holding hands while on stage for a Comic Con panel.
Not all hand holding needs to be romantic.
Since actors Vanessa Kirby and Pedro Pascal began promoting Marvel’s new “Fantastic Four” reboot (playing Sue Storm and Reed Richards, respectively), fans have speculated over their offscreen chemistry.
Countless clips of their red carpet interviews have circulated social media, with comments noting how they “couldn’t stop staring at each other” following, suggesting romance was in the air. Most of the theories fell pretty heavily on Kirby’s side, with people joking about her “flirting” with Pascal, even being full blown “in love” with him.
So when the duo were seen holding hands while on stage for a Comic Con panel, you can bet more rumors spread. But the truth behind that hand hold is actually much more heartwarming.
Pascal has frequently been open about his struggles with anxiety, especially in high profile situations. In an interview with The Guardian (according to Wio News) he shared that it “is something that I’ve lived with since I was a child, so it’s a part of my chemistry. I don’t know what kind of person I’d be without it. It’s something that I manage, but it’s also part of what makes me, me.”
You can see Pascal “managing” this stress in real time in a video posted to Instagram about a year ago, when he performed his new signature red carpet pose of placing his hand on his upper abdomen, and telling his “Last of Us” costar Bella Ramsey that “my anxiety is right there."
We see a bit more of that in the now-viral clip of Pascal and Kirby. Starting to get overwhelmed, Pascal reaches out for her, and after he briefly touches her upper arm, Kirby gracefully reaches behind to grab his hand, and holds it for the remainder of the interview, never missing a beat.
It’s such a simple gesture, but having someone hold your hand really does work wonders for regulating those overwhelming emotions and grounding us into the present moment. And people applauded Kirby for “understanding the assignment.”
“You can tell he needed support and she was there to help him,” one viewer wrote.
Others commended Pascal for dropping the masculine bravado and just being vulnerable.
As one person put it, “I think he's doing something wonderful for men everywhere by not masking and letting people see his anxiety. We should normalize giving comfort and support, especially in public places. She's fantastic for so freely offering that lil bit of support too.”
Another said “To all the young bucks in need of male role models... look at Pedro instead of the Andrew Tates of the world. It takes a lot of vulnerability to speak about dealing with anxiety let alone show it in such a public venue. Pedro is the epitome of what masculinity should be. Be strong, but gentle.”
So did we get a sneak peek into showmance? Who knows, and frankly…who cares? What we definitely saw was a tender moment of compassion between two humans, and a brilliant example of the importance of support and companionship for those managing anxiety or other mental health challenges. That’s the real thing worth talking about.
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Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."