It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (2024)

Pedro has poignantly reflected on how long it took him to get his big break in acting — and how close he came to having to give up his dream.

by Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeed Staff

Posted on March 19, 2024, 5:09 pm

Spoiler for Season 4 ofGame of Thrones below.

It’s fair to say that Pedro Pascal is one of the biggest TV actors in the world right now, with the 48-year-old star winning a SAG Award earlier this year for his breakout performance in The Last of Us.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (2)

In addition to this industry recognition, Pedro has amassed millions of fans across the globe and a whole heap of critical acclaim in recent years — but his acting journey hasn’t always been such a runaway success.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (3)

In fact, Pedro was acting for more than a decade before he entered mainstream consciousness after being cast as Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of Game of Thrones in 2014.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (4)

The tide finally started to turn for Pedro in 2019 when he landed the titular role in The Mandalorian, Disney+’s live-action Star Wars TV series, and last January, his popularity skyrocketed when The Last of Us premiered on HBO.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (5)

Shortly before the season premiere, Pedro’s now-20-year-old costar Bella Ramsey revealed the poignant way that Pedro had acknowledged how long it had taken him to get his big break when filming for the show wrapped.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (6)

And in a recent interview, Pedro recalled just how close he came to being forced to give up his acting dream after he was left with less than $7 to his name and unable to pay his rent.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (7)

In fact, we can thank a well-timed residual check from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for Pedro being able to stick it out until his career took off, with the star playing the character Eddie in a 1999 episode of the popular TV show.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (8)

Last year, Pedro was left delighted when he learned that the star of Buffy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, still remembered working with him all these years later.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (9)

While Pedro was at the premiere for the third season of The Mandalorian, Sarah shared a throwback photo of herself and Pedro with her Instagram followers.

She captioned the post: “When #Mother met #Father,” and Pedro spoke about it while on the red carpet.

"What I just found out — which I am very excited about, and I can't wait to get my phone back so that I can look it up myself — is that Sarah Michelle Gellar remembers me," he toldAccess Hollywood at the time.

"I remember every moment of shooting that episode, as brief as it was, she was such a kind scene partner, and we had the best time,” he continued.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (10)

Meanwhile, Pedro’s career continues to go from strength to strength, with it recently being announced that he will star alongside Emma Stone and Austin Butler in the upcoming movie Eddington.

It Turns Out We Have A Well-Timed “Buffy” Residual Check To Thank For Pedro Pascal’s Skyrocketing Career (11)

Pedro Pascal
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Last of Us

Stephanie SoteriouBuzzFeed Staff