Pedro Pascal Gave a Very ‘Amateurish’ Audition to Be Cast in ‘Game of Thrones’
Pedro Pascal‘s career launched to new heights after his appearance on Game of Thrones. And he did so despite the less than impressive presentation of his audition.
How Pedro Pascal was cast in ‘Game of Thrones’
Game of Thrones fans may remember Pascal being cast in the series as the quick-witted Oberyn Martell in season four. With a little help from his friend Sarah Paulson, Pascal landed the role that would make him famous. But securing the role alone was no small feat. Showrunner David Benoiff was looking for a peculiar mix of characteristics when casting the Oberyn. And all of these traits might’ve been difficult to find in just one actor.
“That was such a tricky role to cast,” Benoiff told Variety. “Oberyn entered the story mid-stream, but required the swagger of a character who had been sparring with the other players off-screen for years. We were looking for an actor with charisma, sexual 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 would send his audition tape to Benoiff, who took notice of how low-budget the audition tape was. But the questionable presentation of the audition didn’t matter once Pascal’s performance began.
“First of all, it was an iPhone selfie audition, which was unusual. And this wasn’t one of the new-fangled iPhones with the fancy cameras,” Benoiff said in a 2020 interview with Variety. “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.”
The showrunner confided that after working with Pascal, he had no doubt that he’d be successful beyond Game of Thrones.
“Once we saw the entire season there was no doubt Pedro was going to be a star,” Benoiff said. “I thought he deserved more recognition, frankly. Was he nominated for any awards? He should have been. 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.”
Why didn’t David Benoiff keep Pedro Pascal on the show?
Pascal’s Oberyn wasn’t destined to last long in Game of Thrones. The character would end up with the same fate he had in George R.R. Martin’s books, dying at the hands of The Mountain. As much as Benoiff and others adored working with Pascal, they couldn’t let their love for the actor change the direction of his character.
“I mean, we love Pedro. And we loved that character,” Benoiff said. “But his death at the hands of the Mountain was one of our favorite brutal killings from George’s books. Part of the reason people remember Oberyn is because he died so horribly.”
Pedro Pascal shared ‘Game of Thrones’ was what helped change his life
Pascal had been around the film industry for many years. He had bit parts in shows like Buffy and Law & Order, slowly building up his portfolio But he really credited Game of Thrones for his newfound fame. After starring in the hit HBO series, Pascal confided he was being noticed far more than ever before.
“My life changed. I’ve been getting to see the world. No matter where you go, there’s going to a place where they’re really into Narcos and you’re the guy from Narcos, or the guy from Game of Thrones,” Pascal told Entertainment Tonight (via Female First).
Pacal was even noticed in places where he never thought that he’d be recognized.
“I was snorkelling, and this person kept on looking at me. I remember I got really nervous because I thought there was a shark or something … He’s just, like, coming toward me and without introducing himself or anything, he just pulls out his GoPro and he takes a picture of us. [He just said] ‘Gracias!’ [and I realized I’d been recognized] even floating out at sea.”
