‘Fantastic Four’ stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby’s handsy behavior raises eyebrows and movie hype: expert

Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby, whose recent flirtatious behavior towards one another has raised eyebrows, are just two of Hollywood’s mega-stars who have sparked romance rumors from handsy, red-carpet appearances. 

From gentle neck rubs to hand-holding, the superhero power couple — who play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic and Sue Storm/The Invisible Woman in the Marvel film, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps” — have been noticeably touchy with one another while promoting the movie. 

But Pascal, who recently admitted physical touch helps him cope with anxieties, said there’s nothing more to it.

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Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby both defended their flirty behavior towards one another while promoting their film, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.” (Getty Images)

“I was always one to reach out when I’m facing something that is challenging or making me anxious,” the actor, 50, told Men’s Health. 

Kirby also defended her co-star’s actions. Recalling the time in which Pascal caught heat after grabbing her hand during an appearance at Comic Con last year, Kirby told Vanity Fair the gesture was innocent. 

“What happened is we were both incredibly nervous going out in front of thousands of people who love this comic,” Kirby said. “He wanted me to know that we were in this together, and I found it a lovely gesture and was very glad to squeeze his hand back.”

(L-R) Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby attend the Marvel Studios Press Line during 2024 Comic-Con International on July 27, 2024, in San Diego, California. (Jerod Harris/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

However, Doug Eldridge, founder of Achilles PR, said stars often use this tactic as a way to create buzz. 

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“Nine times out of 10, this tactic is used as a buzz-builder, whether for the studio that financed the film, or the actors themselves, especially if the latter are up-and-comers, who haven’t developed household name recognition yet. But again, there is always the ’10th time’ which could bring skepticism and, more importantly, scrutiny.”

The duo’s chemistry shines both on screen and off.  (Dominique Charriau/WireImage)

“Pascal uses touch as a ‘grounding’ technique to navigate social situations, which might otherwise trigger his anxiety. Skeptics claim that’s a farce, but clinical professionals have acknowledged the validity of this technique,” Eldridge continued. “Wherever you fall on this particular case, the real ‘winner’ is the studio, as the internet has been filled with clicks and commentary surrounding Pascal, all of which creates a groundswell of buzz and potential ‘butts in the buckets’ for the upcoming release of ‘The Fantastic Four’ re-make.”

“The Fantastic Four: First Steps” stars Pedro Pascal and Vanessa Kirby’s recent flirtatious behavior towards one another caught peoples attention during their press tour. (Jeff Spicer/Getty Images; Toya Sarno Jordan/Getty Images for Disney)

Steve Honig, founder of The Honig Company, told Fox News Digital that it’s common for stars to use their on-screen and off-screen chemistry to their advantage during the promotional period of their upcoming project. 

“There are many ways co-stars can show chemistry on the red carpet without crossing the line into something that might be construed as inappropriate. The key here is to keep it fun and light, not sexual or anything heavy,” Honig said. “At the end of the day, a red carpet is a place of work for actors, so the general rule of thumb is to not do anything a ‘civilian’ shouldn’t do in their workplace.”

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Pascal got heat for grabbing Kirby’s hand during a Comic Con appearance in 2024.  ( Amy Sussman/WireImage)

“Oftentimes, the intent of red carpet PDA is to generate some additional buzz for the film,” he continued. “This can, however, easily backfire and generate negative press about the questionable behavior. Red carpets are great stomping grounds for celebrities to build their brands, and they should use premieres and other red carpet events to that end.”

“Celebrities, and their reps, need to remember that, unlike Las Vegas, what happens on the red carpet does not always stay on the red carpet,” he added. “What happens at a premiere can, and often does, have a huge and lasting impact not only on the specific project but a celebrity’s overall image. This can spill over to other projects, endorsements and either damage or build a celebrity’s brand.”

Last month, Scarlett Johansson spoke out after her red carpet kisses with her “Jurassic World Rebirth” co-star Jonathan Bailey went viral.

Scarlett Johansson planted a kiss on “Jurassic World Rebirth” star Jonathan Bailey.  (Getty)

The 40-year-old actress and 37-year-old actor made headlines after locking lips at their film’s premiere in London on June 17. On June 23, the two shared another kiss at “Jurassic World Rebirth’s” premiere in New York City, where Johansson’s husband, “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost, was in attendance. 

During a recent episode of “Today,” host Craig Melvin told Johansson that he wanted to ask her about “this kissing thing that you and Jonathan have been doing all over the world.” 

Melvin went on to note that Bailey was “so attractive,” to which Johansson responded, “Yeah, you said it!” 

“Is that why we keep planting lips on him?” Melvin asked.

“He’s a lovable guy, what can I say?” Johansson replied. “I don’t know. We’re just friendly people.”

Scarlett Johansson and Colin Jost got married in 2020. (Getty Images)

When Melvin asked whether she was surprised by the public attention to the pair’s kisses, Johansson told him, “Nothing surprises me, you know what I mean?” 

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“Nothing surprises me these days,” she continued. “But, yeah, I’ve got a lot of love to give, what can I say?”

In 2023, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell, who starred together in “Anyone But You,” sparked romance rumors as fans caught glimpses of the two filming. At the time, the duo appeared on the “Today” show to promote the film and their friendship was questioned by Hoda Kotb, who asked if there was “a little romance” going on at any point.

Throughout the interview, Sweeney and Powell shared little looks, and the “Euphoria” star couldn’t stop giggling.

While Sweeney laughed in response to the question about their relationship status, Powell answered: “No, but we do love each other. And, honestly, this is one of the most spectacular humans I’ve ever met. She’s really great.”

Glen Powell and Sydneyy Sweeney sparked romance rumors after the “Anyone But You” stars were seen being flirty with one another.  (Getty Images)

In September 2021, Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain were the stars of a viral video from their appearance at the Venice International Film Festival in 2021 to promote their show “Scenes From a Marriage,” where fans noted the pair seemed to be a little too comfortable with each other. 

In the viral video, the two were posing with their arms around each other for photos. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until Isaac appeared to kiss and sniff Chastain’s underarm area. Isaac spoke on SiriusXM’s “The Jess Cagle Show” at the time and offered an explanation for the odd sniffing by comparing himself and Chastain to flatworms. 

“You know, you can cut them into like a hundred pieces and they will grow a whole new worm out of the little piece. So they’re basically kind of immortal, and they’ve been doing work at the cellular level where they’re seeing that the cells kind of talk to each other through electricity and kind of decide, ‘Okay you’re going to make the head.’ ‘All right, I’m going to make the tail’…they’re communicating through some sort of electro kind of magnetic situation,” Isaac explained. 

“Maybe we should use more actual human language to talk instead of sniffing an armpit and doing things like that,” Isaac said. “That’s kind of what starts to happen and no matter how much we annoy each other, no matter what happens, it’s like, when you get us together, it’s like, it’s just other stuff that’s going on that is making us grow two heads.” 

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac got handsy with one another while promoting “Scenes From a Marriage” in 2021.   (Getty Images)

While Eldridge said the public displays of affection during press are “seldom authentic,” some are truly genuine. 

“It is seldom authentic, but a good rule of thumb is to stay away from terms like ‘always’ and ‘never.’ Point being, Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn have been together since 1983. Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have been married for 40 years. Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Geller have been married for 22 years. Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis have been married for 10 years. Improbable and impossible are not the same thing. Just because ‘most’ of these relationships are manufactured, doesn’t mean ‘all’ of them are.”

“It’s not a question of good or bad [press], but rather inevitable,” he said. “The purpose of organizing a global media junket is to drive ticket sales, but the formula is slightly more calculated than the target outcome. Again, the process is simple, not easy: build awareness, create interest/intrigue, generate a call to action.”

Fox News Digital’s Lauryn Overhultz contributed to this report.