It’s not every day you share an economy flight with a Hollywood star, but that’s exactly what happened to a group of France bound pᴀssengers on Thursday. 

The hugely popular actor left his fellow travellers stunned with an unlikely appearance in coach as he flew to the French Riviera for the 78th Cannes Film Festival. 

Pascal, 50 – who is currently starring in the second series of post-apocalyptic drama The Last Of Us – was making the trip for the official premiere of his latest film, Eddington. 

But he eschewed the private jets and luxury first class treatment afforded many A-list stars, opting instead to hunker down in economy class on a British Airways flight – much to the astonishment of those on the same flight. 

Video footage shared across X showed the actor ‘queuing like a normal person’ at a crowded terminal gate as he prepared to board his flight.

From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail’s new showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.

It’s not every day you share an economy flight with a Hollywood star, but that’s exactly what happened to a group of France bound pᴀssengers on Thursday

The hugely popular actor left his fellow travellers stunned with an unlikely appearance in coach pas he flew to the French Riviera for the 78th Cannes Film Festival via British Airways 

He was later seen stowing his designer hand-luggage in an overhead compartment before settling into one of the plane’s cramped coach seats. 

Pascal was even seen mingling with airline stewards after rising from his seat to stretch his legs in one of the carriage’s narrow aisles. 

Following their arrival in the south-of-France, the actor was forced to return to the plane after apparently leaving his mobile phone on board.  

Playing his unexpected appearance for laughs, one traveller – also bound for the Cannes Film Festival premiere of Eddington – pretended the actor had followed him across the Atlantic before turning up at the same event. 

Commenting on the post, one X user wrote: ‘All jokes aside, the fact he flew economy makes me love him even more.’

A second added: ‘That’s awesome.’ 

While a third joked: ‘Wow, the security at Cannes even spotted him on their huge oversized security monitors. Why didn’t they grab him?’ 

Hours later, the premiere of indie director Ari Aster’s latest film, Eddington, attracted a particularly glitzy crowd to the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet, with Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix and Angelina Jolie in attendance.

Video footage shared across X showed the actor queuing with everyone else at a crowded terminal gate as he prepared to board his flight

He was seen stowing his designer hand-luggage in an overhead compartment before settling into one of the plane’s cramped coach seats

The back of Pascal’s head was visible as he settled into his economy seat ahead of the flight to France 

Pascal was even seen mingling with airline stewards after rising from his seat to stretch his legs in one of the carriage’s narrow aisles

Eddington pits Pascal, who plays a small-town mayor, against Phoenix’s downbeat sheriff in an election campaign that kicks off as tensions over COVID-19 mask policies and the Black Lives Matter protests were both reaching their apex in 2020.

Industry publication IndieWire gave the film set in the U.S. state of New Mexico top marks, calling it the “first truly modern American Western” while the BBC said the “deranged,” star-studded thriller would leave audiences breathless.

Austin Butler, who plays a new-age guru, and Emma Stone, who plays Phoenix’s wife, were also in Cannes for the film’s premiere on Friday, as were Phoenix’s partner, Rooney Mara, and actor Harris Dickinson, who is in Cannes to promote his directorial debut Urchin. 

Like Aster’s three other features, Eddington will be released by independent distributor A24 and is set to hit theatres in the United States on July 18.

The new film marks the U.S. director’s second time working with Phoenix after 2023’s Beau Is Afraid.

He made his name as the maker of elevated horror films Hereditary and Midsommar. 

The actor mingled with fellow travellers as he made his way across the airport ahead of his flight to France 

Following their arrival in the south-of-France, the actor was forced to return to the plane after apparently leaving his mobile phone on board

Hours later, the premiere of indie director Ari Aster’s latest film, Eddington, attracted Pascal and a particularly glitzy crowd to the Cannes Film Festival’s red carpet