The director for Strange Way of Life has dished about Pedro Pascal and Ethan Hawke’s intense onscreen chemistry. 

On 25 September, the highly anticipated LGBTQIA+ Western will finally hit UK cinemas for a one-night-only screening. 

With a run time of 31 minutes, the film follows Silva (Pascal) and a sheriff named Jake (Hawke) as they navigate their complicated past and uncertain future. 

The official synopsis reads: “A man rides a horse across the desert that separates him from Bitter Creek. He comes to visit Sheriff Jake. Twenty-five years earlier, both the sheriff and Silva, the rancher who rides out to meet him, worked together as hired gunmen.

“Silva visits him with the excuse of reuniting with his friend from his youth, and they do indeed celebrate their meeting, but the next morning Sheriff Jake tells him that the reason for his trip is not to go down the memory lane of their old friendship…”

Ahead of its UK premiere, Strange Way of Life director Pedro Almodóvar opened up to The Times about the film and its erotic undertones.

During the interview, the acclaimed creative admitted that there are no sex scenes in the project. 

However, he did describe the dialogue between Pascal and Hawke’s characters as “naked” and “undressed”.

“That is much more erotic and powerful than showing them f***ing,” Almodóvar added. 

He went on to say that while the film takes a more “subtle” approach to its sexual content, it’s still “absolutely erotic”.

“I know they both have a lot of admirers, so it’s good for audiences to know they’re not going to see them f***,” he explained. 

Even though there are no steamy scenes, the publication revealed that viewers can expect to see Pascal’s behind in the film. 

Towards the end of his statement, Almodóvar gushed about working with Hawke and Pascal, stating: “Filming with them has been a marvellous experience. Because also there was great chemistry between them from the start.”

Almodóvar’s recent interview comes a few months after Pascal opened up to Insider about working with the All About My Mother director. 

“It could have been anything that [Almodóvar] asked me to do, and I would have done it without question,” he told the outlet.

“He absolutely opened up an entire world of storytelling, colour, culture, rebellion, and sexuality that was just absolutely intoxicating, dangerous, hilarious, heartbreaking, and encompassing the whole spectrum, but with such a signature style.

“It was really an incredible opportunity to go, learn, and to enjoy the experience of being on the level of people like that. Taking it all in was incredible.”

Check out the full trailer for Strange Way of Life here or below.