Pedro Pascal’s first audition was an Oscar-nominated role that launched a career…just not his own
Since Pedro Pascal broke through into the mainstream with a role in Game of Thrones, he has become one of Hollywood’s most beloved stars, his career going from strength to strength as he has risen to the top of the ranks.
Yet, his fame wasn’t instantaneous. In fact, Pascal’s journey to success is surely an inspirational one for budding actors who are struggling to make a name for themselves, because he spent many years failing to execute the career plans he set out for himself. The film industry is certainly one of the most difficult to get into, and despite the fact that Pascal graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 1997, he spent many years balancing part-time work and minor acting roles in the hopes of making it big.
His dedication to becoming an acclaimed actor finally paid off after years of uncertainty, with Pascal standing as a prime example of why you should continue to chase your goals, even when it feels like the odds are stacked against you. While he landed a few minor roles in television shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Pascal struggled to enter the world of cinema, and it wasn’t until 2011 that he got his first proper role in a Hollywood film, The Adjustment Bureau.
Luckily for Pascal, television has allowed him to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Game of Thrones led to a main role in the acclaimed Narcos, which was soon followed by The Mandalorian and, of course, The Last of Us.
Pascal’s career is now a far cry from his days of struggling to get by as an unsuccessful actor, but he certainly knows not to take it for granted. Way before the actor got his breakthrough into the mainstream, Pascal auditioned for a role that would become Oscar-nominated. Unfortunately, it was not he who got the part, but Edward Norton.
Reflecting on his first audition in Interview Magazine with his close friend Sarah Paulson, Pascal said that he could remember the experience “perfectly,” adding, “It’s going to date me in such a hardcore way.” He continued, “My first audition was for Primal Fear. Do you remember that movie? With Edward Norton.”
The movie was Norton’s debut feature, and he would soon go on to become a star with roles in The People vs Larry Flynt, American History X, and Fight Club coming shortly after. Meanwhile, Pascal was left to scrape by as he balanced small television roles with jobs as a waiter. Pascal admitted that he “was totally in over my head,” adding, “I auditioned for that in New York and then I went to LA for it. I didn’t get it and was unemployed for about ten years.”
Primal Fear, directed by Gregory Hoblit, earned Norton an Academy Award nomination for ‘Best Supporting Actor’, although he ultimately lost the coveted prize to Cuba Gooding Jr for Jerry Maguire. Pascal might have missed out on a successful role, but his career panned out successfully in the end, and now it seems like the actor is simply everywhere.
