Pascal, but not a programming language: How the star of The Last of Us became everyone's favorite

Contents:

• Pedro's Childhood
• The Thorny Path to Fame
• Pedro Pascal's Main Roles
• What We Expect from Pedro Pascal

Everyone loves Pedro Pascal. He's awash in awards, nominations, and job offers.
It wasn't always this way: the actor rose to fame 10 years ago during the release of the fourth season of Game of Thrones. Pascal was 38 years old. The role of Oberyn Martell was a turning point in the Chilean-American actor's career – before that, he had played supporting characters in numerous series. Popularity did not greatly influence the choice of format: Pedro still acts mainly in TV series - only now he plays leading roles, and the performer's fee has increased significantly.
In this material we analyze:

• how Pedro Pascal spent his childhood;
• how his career began;
• what projects made him a star;
• Future films and TV series with the actor.

Pedro's Childhood

Pedro was born in Santiago, Chile. His mother, Veronica Pascal, was a child psychologist, and his father, Jose Balmaceda, was a fertility doctor. The actor himself was called Pedro Balmaceda for a time, but after his mother's death, he took her surname. Besides, according to the actor himself, the surname Pascal is much easier for Americans to pronounce. Another interesting fact: Pedro is related through his mother to the famous Chilean dissident Pascal Allende, a revolutionary from the "Peace" movement.
When our hero was less than a year old, his family fled to San Antonio, Texas, to escape the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. In his new home, far from political strife and bloodthirsty regimes, young Pedro began to explore cinema. One of the first films he saw was "Superman," starring Christopher Reeve. However, the four-year-old never finished watching the blockbuster—while using the restroom, he got lost and went to another theater. Pascal would later have further contact with the DC Universe. Twice.
The parents often took their son to see the latest film premiere—this, among other things, helped him connect with a new culture. And so it happened: Pedro learned the language and fell in love with cinema. Later, cinema sustained Pascal even in the most difficult times. For example, when the family moved from their native San Antonio to Orange County, California. There, the young man was bullied by his classmates for being different.

But every cloud has a silver lining. After some time, Pedro's mother enrolled him in the High School for the Arts, where he was able to devote himself to his passion—acting in productions. The teenager made his final decision about his future profession when he saw the Broadway musical "Angels in America." "It changed me," Pascal would later say.
After graduating from high school, the actor moved to Manhattan to live and study. After graduating from the Tisch School of the Arts, Pedro began auditioning and landing small roles in television productions. Around the same time, his mother died. Our hero was very attached to her and did not act for some time while he recovered from the loss.

A Thorny Path to Fame

In the nineties, the ambitious Latin American began to break into Hollywood. His first major (and failed) audition for Richard Gere's film Primal Fear marked the beginning of a decade without work - at least that's what Pascal himself admitted in a conversation with his friend Sarah Paulson. But the actor was being a little disingenuous. Just then, he began appearing in popular series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order, The Faculty, Touched by an Angel, and other shows. But what the actor definitely didn't have at that time were big roles. And a decent income.

For some time, Pedro was searching for himself: he even considered changing his name to Alexander - this would not only simplify the passage castings, but would also be a tribute to his favorite film from his youth, Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. However, changing his name wouldn't have changed the main thing - his Latino appearance and accent, which weren't particularly popular in Hollywood in the millennium. Around the same time, Pascal made a friend: at a Broadway production, Pedro met Oscar Isaac, an unemployed American with Cuban and Jewish roots. Receiving rejections for the same reason, the aspiring actors became close. They remain friends to this day. However, now they are comrades in success.
Recalling that time, Isaac said: "It got better, but at that time it was so easy to get specific roles because we were Latinos. Like: how many gangster roles do I still have to play... We dreamed of being able to pay the rent regularly. There was no strategy. We just fought. We talked about doing what we both loved—at the time, it seemed irresistible.” Isaac's words are eloquently confirmed by the names of the characters Pascal played during that period. In the series "Red Widow" - Castillo, in "Graceland" - Badillo, and in "Homeland" - Portillo. This unpredictable demeanor accompanied Pascal until 2014.
That year, Pedro's friendliness served him well. Thanks to actress and old friend Sarah Paulson, he landed the role of Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of "Game of Thrones."

In an interview with Seth Meyers, the actor described the situation in detail. Initially, Pascal's friend, with whom they rehearsed, auditioned for the role. Pedro became intrigued by the Martell character and decided to try his luck. An audition, recorded on an old iPhone with a poor camera, was sent to showrunner Benioff via Sarah Paulson, who cast the Chilean without hesitation—though they didn't bother to notify him right away. Pedro wasn't sure if he'd been cast until the very last minute. Only after visiting the production team's office in Belfast and trying on a suit did Pascal realize it had happened. He'd landed his first serious role.
Oberyn Martell emerged as the most distinctive character in season four. He's the prince's young, daring, and sexy younger brother, also known as the Red Viper. Pedro Pascal imbued his character with a unique charisma that made him equally at home on the battlefield and intimately. The notorious accent only played into the actor's hands: it made Martell stand out from the inhabitants of King's Landing, revealing him as a mysterious and dangerous foreigner.
The fourth season of "Game of Thrones" is considered the best in all the years of the show's existence—and this is partly due to Pedro Pascal. And the role of Martell opened the doors to Hollywood for the 38-year-old actor.

Pedro Pascal's leading roles

We cannot list all of the actor's projects that followed Game of Thrones, and we will only tell you about his most prominent roles in TV series and full-length feature films.

Narcos

Format: TV series
Genre: crime, drama
IMDb Rating: 8.8
Years of release: 2015–2017
Directors: Andrés Bays, Joseph Vladyka, Fernando Coimbra and others.
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Wagner Moura, Boyd Holbrook
A Colombian cocaine cartel faces off against DEA agents. The cartel is led by the greatest drug lord of all time, Pablo Escobar (Wagner Moura). U.S. agent Steve Murphy (Boyd Holbrook) and local agent Javier Peña (Pedro Pascal) are tasked with capturing him. Teaming up with the police and the DEA, the pair attempt to prove Escobar's involvement in drug production and distribution while Pablo strengthens his empire.
Based on a true story, this faithfully depicts the rise of the powerful and elusive Pablo Escobar. In addition to the inner workings of the drug cartel, much screen time is devoted to the years-long investigation. The leading actors perfectly imitate the appearance and mannerisms of their models.
Pedro Pascal has appeared in crime series before: "The Mentalist," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Body of Proof," and so on. So, he's no stranger to sternly furrowing his brows, pouting his lips, and wielding a gun. However, this was his first time playing a conned investigator. He had to embody the emotions of a character who regularly received death threats. Javier Peña had to appear unwavering and confident on the outside, yet trembling with terror on the inside, knowing that Pablo Escobar leaves no enemies alive. Pascal accomplished all of these tasks, revealing the personal drama of a determined agent hunting the cunning drug lord. Watching him on screen may be even more interesting than his antipode.

The Mandalorian

Format: TV series
Genre: science fiction, fantasy, action, adventure
IMDb Rating: 8.7
Years of release: 2019 - present
Directors: Jon Favreau, Taika Waititi, Robert Rodriguez and others.
Cast: Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito
After the fall of the Empire, the Galaxy is calm. The Sith no longer terrorize the inhabitants of planets, leaving behind anarchic ways of life. Somewhere far away - many light years from the laws of the New Republic - lives the Mandalorian. He's separated from his own race, earning his living by carrying out various assignments: kill one, force another to talk, find a third. One of his missions ends unexpectedly: the mercenary discovers baby Grogu—a creature belonging to the same species as the once-living Jedi Master Yoda. The Mandalorian takes the child under his wing, protecting him from Imperials and, in particular, officer Moff Gideon (Giancarlo Esposito).
Jon Favreau's series reinvigorated the Star Wars franchise and cemented Pascal's success in Game of Thrones and Narcos. In this large-scale project, Pedro is the main star, and all the attention is focused on the actor (which is only distracted by Grogu).
The new project was a challenge for Pedro Pascal: 99% of the screen time, his character walks around in a helmet and shows no emotion. Lacking the opportunity to play with facial expressions, the actor focused on his gait, fine motor skills, and subtle adjustment of intonation. However, the series also has its moments of heartbreak—they add drama to the show.
As the Mandalorian, Pascal showed everyone how strong and touching a father's love can be. And this despite the fact that he has to love a tiny doll. Pascal spends most of his time alone with himself and the puppet: he has to act without the partner's input, but we definitely feel the vibrant connection between the characters.

Wonder Woman 1984

Format: film
Genre: science fiction, fantasy, action, adventure
IMDb Rating: 5.4
Year of release: 2020
Director: Patty Jenkins
Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen
In 1984, Diana (Gal Gadot) continues to be a superhero and mourns the loss of her long-lost lover, Steve (Chris Pine). Diana works at the Smithsonian Institution, where a new employee, Barbara (Kristen Wiig), gets a job studying ancient artifacts. One of these artifacts is a magic crystal that grants wishes. Crystal helps Diana get Steve back and her friend gain superpowers. The evil businessman Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal) is also hunting for the wonder weapon—he wants to become a god. Wonder Woman takes on the task of stopping the villain.
Villainy suits Pascal, and he clearly enjoys the role of the charismatic Napoleon. He even shaved off his signature mustache—his smooth face is apparently meant to instill even more terror in the audience. Maxwell is the perfect villain of the last century. All he needs is a monocle and a comical laugh. And all of this is as funny as it is necessary: ​​no actor should play the same characters over and over, becoming hostage to a single image. You could call it a warm-up for both the performer and the audience: let no one get used to monotony, while remaining, as they say, open-minded.
And although the character is poorly written, the motives are banal, the god complex is funny, and the dialogue makes you yawn, this... does not harm the film. On the contrary, the deliberate stylization of eighties action movies adds points to it.

The Unbearable Weight of Enormous Talent

Format: film
Genre: action, comedy, crime
IMDb Rating: 7.0
Year of release: 2022
Director: Tom Gormican
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Neil Patrick Harris
Nic Cage was once one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood, whose career has taken a wrong turn in recent years. A midlife crisis has hit all aspects of his life: work is not going well, his ex-wife is unhappy, his teenage daughter is disappointed, and debts are piling up. Cage's agent comes with an offer that will help resolve all his financial woes: a fan from Mallorca is willing to pay one million dollars for Cage to wish him a happy birthday. Nick reluctantly agrees and heads to the island, where his admirer, Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), is eagerly awaiting him. On his first day there, Cage is kidnapped by the CIA. The agents ask for help: according to their information, Javi is a mafioso who must be apprehended. Gutierrez not only deals in weapons and illegal substances but has also kidnapped the daughter of a local politician. Nick agrees to help the CIA.
"Unbearable Weight" is a tribute to Nicolas Cage, but that doesn't diminish Pedro Pascal's charm. In this buddy movie, he makes a worthy partner for the eccentric actor, and even the most thick-skinned viewer will be smitten with the chemistry of their professional duo. Cage is inimitable in his poker faces, and Pascal amuses with his childish silliness. It's no wonder these two have become the heroes of popular memes.
If in Wonder Woman Pedro deftly balanced the line between seriousness and laughter, here he completely surrenders to the latter, letting loose like it's his last. The Chilean handles comedy with enviable ease—just think of his appearances on SNL. In "Unbearable Weight," he is either deliberately emotionless at the climax of the humorous scene, or, on the contrary, echoes Cage's eccentricity with his facial expressions and whole body, turning the action into a theater of the absurd.

A Strange Way of Life

Format: short film
Genre: drama, western
IMDb Rating: 6.2
Year of release: 2023
Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Ethan Hawke, Manu Rios
Cowboy Silva (Pedro Pascal) comes to a small town in the Wild West to visit his old friend, Sheriff Jake (Ethan Hawke). The two heroes haven’t seen each other for 25 years and now recall their youth and the wild two months they once spent together. It turns out that they are former lovers, divorced by fate. But that’s not all. Silva also wants to save his son, who killed a woman in this town, from justice. However, Jake intends to judge him to the fullest extent of the law.
Strange Life is a tender western, referencing the films Brokeback Mountain and Power of the Dog. Against the backdrop of dilapidated saloons, dusty roads, ubiquitous weapons and an abundance of horses - a purely male world - the story of failed love unfolds; A life desired but not lived. The characters have much they want to say to each other, but they hold back—they merely stare expressively. Bergman-esque techniques add intimacy to the proceedings: the camera shows one character full-face, another in profile, one grieving over separation, another hoping for a brighter future. The short film format is spare in detail and conveys the film's message through contrasts: a masculine world—gentle men, stern Jake—soft Silva.
Pascal is multifaceted here: he continues to play the role of a caring father, but also a romantic lover, empathetic and sensitive to his partner. Silva tries to protect the only people dear to him: his son and "more-than-a-friend." Pedro gives his all to the small role of a bright man who has lost a lot, but has not stopped believing in love, sincerity and compassion.

The Last of Us

Format: TV series
Genre: fantasy, drama, horror, action
IMDb Rating: 8.7
Years of release: 2023 - present
Directors: Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar and others.
StarringPedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Anna Torv, Gabriel Luna
In September 2003, a mutated cordyceps spread across the planet - people began to turn into mushroom zombies. Those who managed to escape the transformation still suffered: young father Joel (Pedro Pascal) lost his daughter Sarah (Nico Parker). Twenty years later, Joel has adapted to the post-apocalyptic reality and become a smuggler. Together with his girlfriend Tess (Anna Torv), he takes on a specific job: the pair must smuggle a teenage girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), outside the quarantine zone.
The Last of Us is a cult game series released exclusively (well, almost) for the PlayStation platform. Adapting the game was no easy task: fans demanded adherence to the canon of the universe, any deviation from which threatened the project with failure. The creators nevertheless took the risk, slightly rewriting and expanding the plot of the original game. They added new plot lines, changed the personalities of some characters, and placed greater emphasis on the story of the inner workings of the corrupted world. This technique allowed those already familiar with the story to have a fun time and to expand on the game's lore without completely rewriting the original concept. The plan worked.
Pedro Pascal's role here is the most complex of all he has ever played. Joel is a character with a difficult fate: he lost his daughter, quarreled with his brother, lost his usual life, became a criminal, and went into self-destruction. His reticence reflects his spiritual emptiness, and his reluctance to get close to people reflects the unprocessed trauma of his child's death.
Pascal infused the character with sentimentality and depth. At some point, the hero begins to suffer from increased anxiety, and upon meeting his brother, he confesses to him: I can't do this anymore; I have no strength to go on. But the Joel in the game and the Joel in the series have one thing in common: both come to terms with the past and move on.

What we expect from Pedro Pascal

Pedro Pascal has been working hard in recent years - and is going to work even more. Here are the projects we will see him in:

• The sequel to Ridley Scott's Gladiator. It is not yet known who exactly the Chilean will play, but Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington, Barry Keoghan and others have already been announced in the cast. The release is scheduled for the fall of 2024.
• Pascal also became the leader of the Fantastic Four team of heroes. Along with him, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach will disappear, blaze and turn to stone, respectively. The release is in 2025.
• Let's not forget about the continuation of the series "The Last of Us". In the second season - provided that the plot resembles the sequel to the game - an aged Joel and a mature Ellie will settle in the town of Jackson. Several years of quiet life in a peaceful settlement will be interrupted by a visit from strangers. The release is also planned for 2025.

This year alone, Pedro Pascal was nominated three times and won one award (and what an award!) – the Screen Actors Guild named him in the category of "Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series."
At the awards ceremony, Pascal was so excited – and a little drunk – that he almost burst into tears twice, forgot his lines, and nearly had a panic attack. But that's why we love Pedro – for his sincerity, self-irony, and dedication to his roles. Therefore, we are looking forward to new awards, performances and appearances in the media space.