Whether it’s onscreen or behind the scenes, Game of Thrones is full of plotting and betrayal. Before Pedro Pascal earned the status of Internet’s daddy, thanks to his father-figure roles in The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, he had a hard time garnering prominent roles in his initial days in Hollywood.
But his eventual breakthrough came with the role of Oberyn Martell in Game of Thrones, which kickstarted his ascend to the top. However, getting this role wasn’t so straightforward, as Pascal had to make some contentious moves to secure the role, which involved him betraying his mentee.
Pedro Pascal’s Devious Plotting to Get the Role of Oberyn
Landing the role of Oberyn Martell that changed his life involved some plotting from Pedro Pascal, which suited the character he was auditioning for. After The Last of Us Star agreed to help a young graduate with his first audition tape for the part of Oberyn, Pascal’s mindset shifted after he started reading the script for the character, which got him hooked. Following his adamancy to get the part, he decided to text his manager to secure him an audition of his own after his mentee left for the bathroom.
“He’s, like, a 25-year-old kid–really, really talented, good-looking–and I’m helping him go on tape for this new, amazing role.” He recalled. “He’d never seen the show; I was a huge fan. And I’m reading the sides and I’m like, ‘This is amazing.’ [The character is] in his late 30s, he has daughters, he’s a sl*t. I was like, ‘This is perfect! For me… He goes to the bathroom, and I text my manager right away. It’s terrible.”
While joking about the matter, Pascal admitted that he should make amends with his mentee, however, recording an audition tape was only half the job done for the Narcos Star.
The Audition Tape Was Amateurish Excluding Pedro Pascal’s Performance
After recording the tape on his iPhone, Pedro Pascal asked his friend Sarah Paulson for help, ensuring that the tape was seen by the right people. This resulted in the American Horror Story Star delivering the tape to Amanda Peet, who was married to one of the GOT‘s showrunners, David Benioff. And even though David Benioff wasn’t impressed by the quality of the tape, Pascal’s impeccable performance was enough to grab his attention.
“First of all, it was an iPhone selfie audition, which was unusual,” Benioff explained. “And this wasn’t one of the new-fangled iPhones with the fancy cameras. It looked like s***; it was shot vertical; the whole thing was very amateurish. Except for the performance, which was intense and believable and just right.”
While Benioff expressed the actor didn’t get the recognition he deserved for his portrayal of the Red Viper, thanks to the character’s cathartic death, Pascal’s Oberyn became a memorable part of GOT.
Game of Thrones is available to stream on Max.
Source: Late Night With Seth Meyers
