Trying to make it in Hollywood? Pedro Pascal says aspiring actors face a hard truth
Pedro Pascal isn’t sugarcoating it for aspiring actors hoping to make it in Hollywood, offering blunt advice that might sting before it helps.
On a recent stop by the Variety Awards Circuit Podcast to talk up Tony Gilroy ’s new movie Behemoth!, Pedro Pascal didn’t sugarcoat what it takes to break into Hollywood. Asked what he wishes someone had told his younger self, he offered a reality check.
“You’ve got to eat s***, and you’ve got to take a lot of s***. That’s part of it,” Pascal told Variety.
Pascal said those early indignities can shape you in useful ways — building empathy, reinforcing kindness, and reminding you to keep some generosity in the bank because karma does its rounds. He also credited mentors and peers who opened doors for him when he needed it, calling his rise a product of other people’s support as much as his own grind.
That grind is well documented. Before headlining The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, Pascal spent years as the quintessential “that guy” — popping up in guest spots, recurring roles and stage productions while riding the endless audition circuit. The podcast chat put that history in context and set up why his new film centers on a working musician’s world.
The new movie
In Behemoth!, Pascal plays Alex Serian, a former child-prodigy cellist from a family of Los Angeles studio musicians. After two decades on tour, Alex heads home and shifts to composing Hollywood film scores — a personal story that doubles as a love letter to movie soundtracks and the often-unsung pros who make them.
- Writer-director : Tony Gilroy
- Festival bow: Premiered at the New York Film Festival, where early buzz singled out Pascal’s performance and the film’s command behind the camera
- U.S. theatrical release : December 4, 2026