Showrunner David Benioff reveals that Pedro Pascal's Game of Thrones audition was a selfie video shot with a terrible quality old iPhone camera. Benioff co-created the hit HBO show with D.B. Weiss and turned the novel series into one of the most successful TV shows of all time. Despite its divisive final season disappointing fans and cast members, Game of Thrones remains a high point for cable TV shows, particularly for the gritty, realistic way it dealt with its fantasy setting.
Game of Thrones was notorious for introducing characters who, in any other series, would be the main characters across the entire series run. Examples include Eddard Stark (Sean Bean), who was touted as the lead of the show before being killed in the penultimate episode of season 1, and Oberyn Martell (Pascal) introduced in season 4 and killed off just seven episodes later, after pledging to fight for Tyrion Lannister's freedom. Despite only appearing in one season, Pascal made an impression, and his role as Martell helped launch a career that includes appearances in Narcos, Wonder Woman 1984, and The Mandalorian. And it turns out that Pascal has a bad iPhone audition to thank for his success in Hollywood.
Benioff reveals to Variety that he cast Pascal in Game of Thrones despite the actor submitting an audition that was "very amateurish." The story goes that Pascal shot his audition for Martell on his iPhone, using the selfie mode, and passed it on to his friend, actor Sarah Paulson (Nurse Ratched). Paulson herself is friends with Amanda Peet, Benioff's wife, who agreed to pass the video on to him. Benioff says that despite the video's terrible quality, he knew Pascal was right for the role because his performance was "intense and believable." You can read his full comments below:
First of all, it was an iPhone selfie audition, which was unusual. And this wasn’t one of the new-fangled iPhones with the fancy cameras. It looked like s--t; it was shot vertical; the whole thing was very amateurish. Except for the performance, which was intense and believable and just right.
The tale is certainly a lesson in resilience. Pascal, who had struggled through a career where he mostly appeared in single episode roles on TV dramas, believed in himself enough to record an audition in less-than-ideal circumstances and used his connections to get it to the right people. He obviously had the talent to make it a successful audition, but it proves that not everything needs to go right for actors to prove themselves worthy.
The story is also proof that sometimes quality shines through. Pascal is a good performer, and Benioff could see that despite the bad quality of the recording. His instincts about casting Pascal in Game of Thrones were right, with the Chilean-born actor turning the role into an iconic one and going on to star in another massive TV hit in the form of The Mandalorian.
Source: Variety