Pedro Pascal Knows His Way Around a Death Scene: ‘I Die a Lot’
Pedro Pascal is on a hot streak, with his successful Disney+ series The Mandalorian in production on Season 3 and several popular movies hitting theaters. The Chilean-born actor is not new to the entertainment industry, however. He first rose to prominence as Oberyn Martell in the iconic HBO series Game of Thrones, earning acclaim for his easy charm and on-screen intensity. Over the years, Pascal has maintained a sense of humor about his career. In a video interview with his longtime friend Oscar Isaac, he joked about how his characters always seem to get “killed off” on screen.
Pedro Pascal has acted in movies and TV shows
Pascal was born in Santiago, Chile, in 1975. During the earliest years of his acting career, in the late ’90s, Pascal appeared in various TV shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Homeland, and Graceland. According to IMDb, Pascal also acted extensively in stage shows around this time. He appeared in productions such as Terrence McNally’s Some Men and Trista Baldwin’s Sand.
Pascal’s big break came in 2014. He was cast in the fourth season of Game of Thrones as Oberyn Martell. Although he only appeared in seven episodes of the show, he made a significant impact. Many GoT fans name his character one of their all-time favorites. He followed up his role in Game of Thrones with a high-profile part in the TV series Narcos, which he acted in from 2015 through 2017. Pascal is possibly best known for his leading role in The Mandalorian, a critically-acclaimed Disney+ series.
How does Pedro Pascal feel about his many on-screen deaths?
Pascal’s fans likely noticed several of his characters meet their dramatic ends onscreen. From Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Law & Order, Pascal’s characters often die off before the episode’s end, according to Cinema Blend. Most notably, Oberyn Martell was killed off in gruesome style when the assassin known as The Mountain smashed his face with his hands. The moment still stands as one of the most grotesque television deaths of all time — and is ranked by fans as one of the top three GoT deaths in the series’ history.
In an April 2022 interview with Esquire, Pascal opened up about the designation. As reported by E! News, Pascal told Esquire the designation “makes me feel like a boss.” “Everything after is a bit futile,” he joked. “It’s like, what am I doing? Why am I still trying? I did it.”
In a 2019 Wired interview with Oscar Isaac, Pascal joked about his penchant for dying onscreen. In response to the question from Google, “Is Pedro Pascal death?” Pascal remarked, “I die a lot. I think that’s why they ask that. It’s ’cause I die a lot…My head’s squished. Thrown off towers —” Isaac then quipped, “He’s made a career of dying spectacularly.” Pascal acquiesced, “If you watch Law & Order…all three of them, I always die on Law & Order.”
What’s next for Pedro Pascal?
Even though Pascal’s most famous roles have been in TV and streaming productions, he’s making waves with one movie project. Pascal appears in the 2022 film, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, opposite Nicolas Cage. The film hit theaters in April 2022 and has received praise from critics and fans alike. He also stars in the Netflix comedy The Bubble.
As of May 2022, Pascal is wrapping up production on a new HBO series called The Last of Us. He’ll soon promote Season 3 of The Mandalorian, set to premiere in the coming months.
