It may have looked painful in the TV show, but the filming of Pedro Pascal’s death scene on “Game of Thrones” was anything but!
Pedro Pascal is the kind of star who seems like he became a success overnight. But of course, appearances can be deceiving. The actor worked in film and television for 15 years before landing what was his first big break on Game of Thrones. Yet, even with his role on that show, perhaps what fans – and Pascal himself – remember most is his epic death scene.
Pedro Pascal played Oberyn Martell on ‘Game of Thrones’
Game of Thrones, of course, premiered on HBO back in 2011. And the show soon gained attention for its complex storytelling, ensemble cast, and uncompromising approach to sex and violence. During its run, much of its cast found their breakthrough roles, including supporting players and even recurring characters like Pascal’s Oberyn Martell.
The character emerges in Game of Thrones Season 4 to attend Joffrey’s (Jack Gleeson) wedding. But ultimately, his visit to King’s Landing doesn’t go particularly well. After appearances in seven episodes of the show, Pascal’s character is killed by Gregor Clegane aka The Mountain (Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson) in a gruesome fashion, even for Game of Thrones.
Pedro Pascal had a surprising reaction to his brutal death scene
During his recent appearance on Hot Ones, Pascal discussed the process of shooting his Game of Thrones death scene. And while it is an intense moment on screen, the actor reveals filming Oberyn Martell’s final moments was anything but stressful.
“I got my head crushed in. It was the best part of the day. It was so hot when we were shooting that scene. [Björnsson] is over me, and he puts his thumbs into my eyes. And they’ve got tubing through his body into his forearms to his thumbs just pumping this cool blood. … There were all of these fleshy bits that they were placing all over my face and pumping blood so that it would pool and spread through the amphitheater for this good wide shot of the two of us from above. And I was dead alseep because it was so hot, and this stuff was so cooling to the touch.”
Pascal also mentions that Björnsson was “the gentlest guy ever” during the climactic moment. Despite what looks like a violent encounter, Pascal said he “felt no pressure at all” and “couldn’t even feel” his co-star’s weight on him, despite Björnsson weighing 230 pounds and standing 6 feet and 9 inches tall.
Pedro Pascal has played several characters who have died
Anyone who has followed Pascal’s work knows the actor is no stranger to death scenes. In fact, many of his characters met gruesome ends like Oberyn Martell. Remember how he is defeated in 2017’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle? Yikes.
In any case, Pascal doesn’t appear to be losing any fateful battles anytime soon on The Mandalorian. The Disney+ Star Wars series catapulted him to a new level of fame. And given the show’s continued success into season 3, fans will likely see him in the “galaxy far, far away” for a while longer.
