Pedro Pascal Has No Shame About His Game Of Thrones Audition

Pedro Pascal has captivated the internet as the gruff father figure Joel Miller in HBO's terrifying adaptation of "The Last of Us." His endless charisma made him a meme sensation; however, that wasn't the first time the actor captured our attention. Pascal was a standout addition to Season 4 of "Game of Thrones" as the vengeful Prince Oberyn, also known as The Red Viper. His story behind auditioning for the compelling and scene-stealing role is a laughable one for the books.

Though he was only featured in one season of "Game of Thrones," his character left a lasting legacy. Oberyn came to King's Landing during a highly tumultuous time that only got exceedingly worse after the death of King Joffrey (Jack Gleeson). His proclamation to avenge his sister led him to fight the hulking titan, The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson), where he met his unforgettable end.

On Esquire's YouTube channel, Pascal revealed the unconventional and funny audition process he had for "Game of Thrones." He called his audition "amateurish" before going into the specifics, "It's true, I had my friend tape me with an iPhone." He also noted the hefty page length before detailing how he finessed the reading.

Lucky for Pedro Pascal, he was already a fan of "Game of Thrones" before he stepped on set, which probably helped his process as he auditioned. Familiarity with the world would definitely be advantageous as he tried out, especially while navigating the long script segment he received. He dived into the memorable tale and the neat trick he incorporated to pull it all off.

He recalled, "There were so many pages. They sent me like 20-something pages to do, which, obviously, in the time that they wanted the tape to be turned in, I wasn't going to be able to memorize all those lines. So, the easiest way was for somebody to sit in front of you with an iPhone and then just kind of like have the pages down here and read it casually." Pascal then joked, "and the suckers fell for it!" Though, the casting agents most likely saw his talent and knew he'd make an incredible Oberyn. Maybe he even tried his instinctual accent that he was clever enough to invent. 

Pascal's depth and range helped land him "Game of Thrones" before propelling his career into other sprawling franchises. He leads the "Star Wars" phenomenon series "The Mandalorian" as the titular character, in addition to his heart-wrenching role on "The Last of Us." After this experience, he probably learned to hide a few tricks up his sleeve that keep his auditions fresh and exciting, consistently bringing him back to our TV screens.