The Internet’s ‘Daddy’ Pedro Pascal has been at the peak of his career for the past few years and does not seem to be slowing down. After starring in shows such as The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, the actor is all set to make his MCU debut with Fantastic Four, where he is cast as Reed Richards a.k.a Mr.Fantastic.
While the actor has featured in a slate of hits and fan favorites such as Narcos, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, the actor gained his first taste of fame with the show Game of Thrones. The actor starred in the show’s fourth season as Oberyn Martell and was lauded for his performance. Pascal recently credited his success to the role. Spoilers for Game of Thrones ahead.
Pedro Pascal Credited His Massive Success To Game Of Thrones
Actor Pedro Pascal had a phenomenal 2023, mostly due to his Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated role as Joel Miller in the HBO drama series The Last Of Us. While the actor has attained new levels of stardom due to the show, it was actually another classic HBO series that made him a household name.
Pedro Pascal starred as Oberyn Martell, the Prince of Dorn in the fourth season of Game of Thrones. The actor’s performance as the vengeful, brave, and sensitive warrior was lauded by many and gained him many fans. Martell’s pinnacle in the show came when he volunteered to be Tyrion Lannister’s champion in combat against The Mountain.
Despite his early death in the show, Pedro Pascal reportedly credited his success in the industry to the creators David Benioff and DB Weiss taking a chance on him. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the actor said,
“The role that changed my life was in Game of Thrones. I will always credit its creators for taking a chance on someone who had nothing but unknown theater credits and episodic television on their résumé. I still awe at the opportunity that was handed to me by David Benioff, Dan Weiss, and Carolyn Strauss. Without Thrones, I would not have had Narcos, The Mandalorian, or The Last of Us.”
Pascal’s Oberyn Martell was known as the Red Viper in the show and had a personal vendetta against the Lannisters for killing his family. In the combat against The Mountain, who was ordered to kill Martell’s family, Pascal gained notoriety for his charming yet skillful combat. However, this nonchalance became his hubris as he was killed mercilessly by The Mountain at the last moment.
Game Of Thrones Creators Had Great Things To Say About Pedro Pascal
Pedro Pascal has come a long way since his Game of Thrones days. The actor became known for playing Javier Pena in the Netflix show Narcos, which was based on the hunt for Pablo Escobar. The actor starred in the lead role for three seasons of the show and was known for the role. He also went on to star in the Star Wars show The Mandalorian.
Seeing his success, his Game of Thrones colleagues and creators had nothing but praises to shower on the actor. Co-creator David Benioff told Variety,
“That was such a tricky role to cast….We were looking for an actor with charisma, s*xual energy, physical menace, and depth. He had to be seductive to both men and women; he had to be someone the audience could believe as a killer.”
Pascal reportedly sent in his audition through his friend and actress Sarah Paulson, who was friends with Benioff’s wife Amanda Peet. The showrunner mentioned how the audition was badly filmed on an iPhone and was vertical. But, Benioff mentioned that the acting trumped all the technical misgivings of the audition tape. He said,
“Once we saw the entire season there was no doubt Pedro was going to be a star. I thought he deserved more recognition, frankly…But Dan and I were thrilled that we gave Pedro a job that helped his ascent because he’s an absolute gem of an actor and a man.”
The showrunner also mentioned that though he would have loved to work with Pedro Pascal more, the death of Oberyn Martell was one of his favorite scenes in the show. He also mentioned that if they had avoided it, Pascal would never have been able to do Narcos.
