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Pedro: You're right.
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You say, you start to say: "I'm okay." , and then it's like... Sean: Yeah. And then they hear you. Pedro: "Dude." . Sean: They hear you. Pedro: "I'll kill you." . Uh.
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Sean: Hey, what's going on, everybody?
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For <i>First We Feast</i>, I'm Sean Evans, and you're watching <i>Hot Ones</i>.
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It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings.
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And today we're joined by Pedro Pascal.
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He's an actor you know from a string of massive global hits over the last decade, including "<i>Game of Thrones</i>", "<i>Narcos</i>", "<i>The</i> <i>Mandalorian</i>", and <i>HBO</i>'s brand new, record breaking show, "<i>The Last of Us</i>".
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And more good news, for Pedro Pascal fans, is the much anticipated 3rd season of "<i>The</i> <i>Mandalorian</i>" begins streaming on <i>Disney+</i>, March 1st.
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Pedro Pascal, welcome to the show.
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Pedro: Thank you for having me.
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I'm so glad for the opportunity to finally be taken seriously.
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Sean: How are you around spicy food, before we get started?
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Pedro: I mean, I was really good around spicy food as a young man and young internal organs.
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Um, I don't know if it goes so great anymore. We'll find out.
1:02
Sean: There's only one way to find out.
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Pedro: There is only one way to find out.
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Sean: Are you ready to get started?
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Pedro: In front of millions of people. Okay. Pedro: Yummy.
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Pedro: I wonder how much of this is going to get caught on my astonishing mustache. Pedro: It's good. Sean: Mhm. Sean: Wow.
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Pedro: I did skip breakfast.
1:59
Sean: So, your latest project, "<i>The Last of Us</i>", you play the role of Joel Miller, a character who, much like the show, has this austere outer shell, but underneath it all is a warmness.
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As an actor, how do you think about balancing the noble traits that make a character like Joel heroic versus the weaker ones that make him human? Pedro: You're smart.
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I never thought about it that way.
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Um, I think that there's a funny thing about a very, sort of, restricted exterior that is typical for, um, these kinds of male archetypes, I think.
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Don't show your feelings.
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People will see that you're weak. Survival is key. Don't let anybody in.
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You know, developing human connection is not, at least in his mind, key to survival.
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But, then, only to discover, that he cannot live without it at any cost.
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This one's kinda, like, colorful. I'm gonna split the...
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This is how I like to do this. Sean: There you go.
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Sean: Look at those mechanics. Pedro: Yeah, baby.
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Sean: Not new to the chicken wing game. Pedro: M-mh. Mm.
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Pedro: My brother's here, he's so jealous.
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I brought him, 'cause he, he was like: "You gotta do <i>Hot Ones</i>."
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, been telling me for, like, six years. Sean: Oh.
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Thank you, by the way, for the referral.
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Pedro: I think he just wants chicken wings. Lovely.
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I will save the, I wanna dive, I wanna clean the bone on the other one, but... I'm gonna pace myself. Sean: Smart. Smart play, smart play.
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Pedro: Maybe I can revisit.
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Sean: What blew your mind the most about the mechanics of Grogu's performance?
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You know, where you have one technician who's doing eyes and mouth, and then another technician simultaneously doing the facial expressions?
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Pedro: There's two of them, and one is, like, remote and you can carry him around and he'll, like, move, his, his head will move around, ears, you know, and I mean, like, turn towards you as you're holding him and stuff like that, and kind of be alive.
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And then, for a good close up, he's connected to, you know, the Pentagon, like, it's like these wires that, um, in close, like, you know, then that's where you get the really detailed eyebrow movements and eyeballs kind of moving around, and he's a very cooperative and fulfilling scene partner. Acting partner. You know? It's pretty crazy.
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Like, having to say goodbye to him in season 2, and getting praise for: "Oh, my gosh", like, you know, "You have such subtle emotion and you're dealing with a puppet."
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, and I'm like: "This puppet is making me cry." . Sean: Right. Pedro: You know? It's like... you know... You know, like, fully. And I'm like: "Damn." , like: "Chill. You're stealing it.
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It's, like, the one time I have my helmet off, like, let me, let me have the scene, bro." .
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Pedro: I can see it looks like some kind of angry mole-rat-rabbit. Sean: Mhm. Pedro: Mhm. Don't hurt me, "Cadejo".
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Sean: This is kind of the first little jump, I feel like, we take.
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Pedro: It, it doesn't jump, it creeps. Sean: Yeah. Yeah. Lingers a little bit. Grows a little bit. Pedro: Yeah. Smaller bites. But, it is really good.
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Sean: That's how it goes. Pedro: It's tasty.
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Sean: You just keep talking. I'm hungry. Sean: Sure.
5:42
Sean: What role did the <i>South Coast Repertory</i>, in Costa Mesa, play in shaping your affection for acting at a young age?
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Pedro: How the hell did you find out about the <i>South Coast Repertory</i>?
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You're the first person to ask me.
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That was in Orange County, my mom... this is the best.
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We moved from Texas to California, and I was going, still, with this sort of, like, diluted fantasy of wanting to be an actor and knowing that if we were moving to Southern California, that was, like, just one big giant leap towards <i>Hollywood</i>.
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And my mom was, like: "I'll find you something, like, at the local community theater." .
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I was on the younger side.
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And then, there was, like, on the old, you know, there was like maybe some 14 year olds, some teenagers, and they were a little badass and snuck me a cigarette, and we got caught. That kind of stuff. Sean: Yeah, it's a...
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Pedro: Trying to get with the, the theater kids, you know, the rebels. Mm. No, it's good.
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It's, like, it's a little sweet. When's it gonna hurt? Sean: You know what?
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This one, I think, might be a little bit of a shift down. Pedro: Yeah. Sean: You know?
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Pedro: That's what it feels like. Sean: Yeah.
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Enjoy those, enjoy those valleys, you know. Pedro: Good job. Sean: There we go. There we go.
6:57
When you're watching other movies, or other TV shows, do you ever think about, like, an actor's wardrobe and how heavy or uncomfortable it might be?
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'Cause I feel like you do have a unique insight.
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You know, working with heavy armor, heavy suits, weapons and the like. Pedro: It's...
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a terrible thing, in terms of my experience, being such a consumer of movies and television, and such a little fanboy.
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And now, because of the context, I really, my family wants to kill me so much of the time, 'cause I'm just like: "Poof, I bet, you know that mud all over his body? He's freezing.
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Oh my gosh, that's so cool. That's a lot of blood. That's a lot of blood. That's very sticky." . You know?
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I'm so hyper aware about what the crew and the cast is going through, and everyone wants to kill me when I'm, I'm like: "Dude, those shoes...
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get blisters in those shoes." .
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Pedro: Looks a little intimidating. Sean: Mhm. Pedro: Okay. Oh. Sean: Yeah. Pedro: Yeah. Sean: Time release.
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Pedro: It's a, it's the emergence... of. Sean: Yeah. It's entered.
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Pedro: That's good because... Sean: Surprise. Pedro: ...
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it's terrible, 'cause you're like: "Oh, that's spicy, I should have another bite." . Pedro: It's tasty.
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Sean: But, when it's good, that's what you have to do. You know? Pedro: Yeah. It's good. All right. We're, we're okay.
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Sean: We're doing all right. We still got our feet. Pedro: Yeah.
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Sean: We still got our feet.
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Pedro: Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm.
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Sean: What are the mechanics of shooting a scene where your character has his eyes gouged out of his skull.
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You know, that's happened to you on two separate occasions.
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Of course, the unforgettable death in "<i>Game of Thrones</i>". Pedro: Yeah.
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Sean: But, then that final scene of "<i>Equalizer 2</i>".
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Pedro: Um, maybe, in this interview as well.
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Sean: Time will only tell.
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Pedro: I could beg you to gouge my eyes out and, uh, collapse my skull in case it gets really bad.
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Um, I got my head crushed in.
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It was the best part of the day.
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It was so hot when we were shooting that scene.
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You know, he's over me, and he puts his thumbs into my eyes, and they've got piping, tubing, piping...
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through his, uh, body, into his forearms, forearms to his thumbs, and just, like, pumping this, like, cool blood. And, um, so gentle.
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Like, the gentlest guy ever, felt no pressure at all. You know?
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And he was so hyper aware of it.
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He, I couldn't even feel his weight on me as he, like, you know, basically straddled me.
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There were all of these fleshy bits that they were kind of placing all over my face and pumping blood, so that it would pool, you know, and spread through the amphitheater for this, like, good wide and that sort of shot of the two of us from above.
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I was dead asleep, because it was, like, it was so hot and this stuff was so cooling to the touch, and you had to be really, really still.
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And that was the most relaxing.
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And knowing, also, that we had gotten to the end of this, sort of, four day fight, that we were shooting out there.
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Um, it was, uh, very, uh, cathartic, and I went into the deepest sleep I've been in...
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I realize now that, 'cause I'm not a very good sleeper, I need, I need to be laid out with pieces of flesh, um, gelatinous, cool to the touch, uh, face meat and, uh, pulling blood.
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And, maybe, I'll finally get a good fuckin' night sleep. "Mushroom Mayhem". Okay. Sean: You ready? Pedro: Together. Sean: Together. Pedro: Forever. Sean: Forever. Pedro: Cheers. Sean: Forever bonded. Pedro: Bunk. Sean: Bunk.
10:50
Is it true that all the cast on the set of "<i>The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent</i>" was gifted a Nicolas Cage pillow, each one signed by Nicolas Cage?
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Pedro: I think I remember kind of hiding these pillows from him.
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I was like: "He not ready." .
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"You get him to sign this pillow for me?"
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, I'm like: "No, no, no, no, no. He's not ready. He's not ready. He doesn't wanna see it.
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And then, I think we all got them at the end.
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I can, um, the, the, uh, the, the, the torture mushroom sauce, is starting to, um... Sean: Torture?
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Pedro: Would like to be a part of this conversation.
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He doesn't wanna talk, hee doesn't want me to talk about Nicolas Cage's pillows.
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My character had this collector's room of everything from his movies and a life size model of him from "<i>Face/Off</i>".
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And we put this pillow in the scene.
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He wanted to get rid of it. And I said: "No.
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Um, I think it should stay."
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, and then he was like: "Fine."
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, so he'll play, and he points to it, and he's like: "Uh, uh, that, that, that's weird." .
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And I was, and he, and he, like... Sean: Changed it? Pedro: Changed his face.
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And I was like: "No, it's nice." .
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And I put it back and they kept it in the movie.
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That was definitely an improvised moment.
12:16
The one, the one time I was, uh, disagreeing with him.
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Pedro: It's so great to finally lose your mind. Pedro: Angry... "Angry Goat Pepper". Sean: Mhm.
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Pedro: That's what's there. Mm, mm. I don't feel anything. Sean: Maybe that's nice. Pedro: Yeah?
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Sean: You know, let's not step on it. Pedro: Let's go.
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Sean: If we got a freebie. Pedro: Okay. Sean: We take it. Pedro: Yeah.
12:44
Sean: You haven't lost a step.
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Pedro: I haven't lost a step.
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Yeah, I see, I see, I see, I see. I see.
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It's all about time release with these guys. Sean: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right. Pedro: I see.
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Sean: Or you talk about them in a complimentary way and then they bite.
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It's, almost, like they can hear you... Pedro: Right. Sean: ... talking about them. You know?
13:02
Pedro: Just let me love you.
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Sean: And then, I know that you were a fan of Nicolas Cage long before you starred alongside him. Pedro: Yeah.
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Sean: Do you have a Mount Rushmore of Nicolas Cage movies?
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And I can throw some at ya.
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Pedro: No, no, you don't have to throw any at me. Sean: Okay.
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Pedro: Um, the earlier ones, for me, because of how impressionable they are.
13:23
But, "<i>Raising Arizona</i>", "<i>Peggy Sue Got Married</i>", um... "<i>Face/Off</i>". Sean: Classic.
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Pedro: I got a soft spot for "<i>Moonstruck</i>", man.
13:35
And it isn't even about having a big swing in terms of performance.
13:39
It is, actually, highly, highly intelligent choice making in his acting.
13:45
Where I'm gonna do, like, a Fritz Lang hand thing in the moment where I scream about my brother Danny Aiello, um, accidentally, chopping his hand off, or he looked away and chopped his hand, and he's like: "I lost my hand."
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, And, and it is just to this perfect effect where it's grounded in the scene, has all of this theatrical context to it and concept. He's still believable.
14:12
It was really amazing to do homework for that movie and rewatch all of these movies that I'd already seen so many times.
14:18
Um, "<i>Adaptation</i>" is, maybe, one of the best screen performances in the history of American cinema, but the four that I mentioned have, you know, a personal place in my development as, uh... an aspiring actor.
14:36
And, to this day, in my DNA a little bit, where I realize that I, I'm doing something, and I'm saying something in a way that I have to stop and take a second, and realize: "Oh, I got that from "<i>Vampire's Kiss</i>", or something. You know? Sean: All right. Pedro: Yes?
14:57
Sean: This next one is "Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity".
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Pedro: 'Cause I ate this one already. Sean: Yep.
15:01
That was the "Dreams of Calypso".
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Pedro: "Da' Bomb Beyond Insanity".
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Sean: Yeah, I kind of clear my throat before this one, too. Pedro: Yeah?
15:10
Pedro: This will clear our throats for us. Sean: Yeah. And everything else. Pedro: Okay. All right.
15:15
Sean: This one's dangerous. Pedro: You got it. Sean: Diving in. Pedro: That... Oh, no. No, no, no, no. No. Pedro: That's a jump. Sean: Significant. Exponential.
15:37
Pedro: This is a story structure to your interview. Sean: Yeah, yeah. We have a whole arc. Pedro: Sure you do.
15:41
Pedro: You tell me I'm, you tell me I'm, I'm doing well. Sean: Yeah.
15:46
Pedro: And then you try to kill me.
15:48
Sean: Yeah, yeah, well... Pedro: I see.
15:48
I mean, it's got to be successful for a reason. Sean: Yeah.
15:52
And, you know, this is part of...
15:55
Pedro: I really, actually, got to the point where I thought that this might not happen. Stop talking. Huh.
16:06
Sean: It comes for all of us, this one.
16:11
Yeah, I might do that, too.
16:11
That's a good move, actually.
16:16
Pedro: Can somebody step in here and let me bite into their flesh? Sean: Dom.
16:21
Pedro: Can somebody give me a cup of blood? Why? Oh, my God.
16:25
I really was like: "I'm gonna be the only one." . Sean: Yeah, I've...
16:30
Pedro: Did you ever see "<i>The Fly</i>"?
16:32
Am I talking really loud? Sean: Yeah.
16:33
Do you feel like you're going through a metamorphosis?
16:37
Pedro: "<i>The Fly</i>" with Jeff Goldblum? Sean: Yeah. Classic.
16:39
Pedro: And he vomits onto the guy's hand, and it just dissolves and disintegrates.
16:43
And then there's just like this little piece of flesh that's being like... hat's my mouth. Sean: Yeah.
16:49
Pedro: Do I have a tongue? Sean: It's still there. It's still there.
16:50
You might not be able to feel it, but it's still there.
16:53
Pedro: I fucking hate milk.
16:54
Sean: But, any port in a storm... You know?
16:57
What makes <i>Cap'n Crunch</i> the top dog of breakfast cereals for you? Smart. Resourceful. Yeah. There... oh.
17:08
Pedro Um, <i>Cap'n Crunch</i> is just so tasty. It tastes like... what is that taste? It's like caramel?
17:16
Sean: Yeah, yeah, it's kind of its own thing. You know?
17:20
Pedro: It's its own thing.
17:20
It's like, um, you know, makes you think about your childhood.
17:28
And I would do anything to go back there right now.
17:33
Sean: Well, speaking of your childhood, as somebody who grew up in San Antonio, can you break down the difference between good Tex-Mex and bad Tex-Mex? Pedro: Mhm. Very good question.
17:43
Now it's time to make people angry. Sean: Mhm. Pedro: I'm doing okay. Sean: Yeah. Pedro: Right? Sean: Yeah. Pedro: It's like a wave. Sean: Yeah, exactly. The worst is over. Pedro: And I'm Fine. Sean: The worst is over. Pedro: Really? Sean: Mhm. It's behind us.
17:56
Pedro: Don't spit back up.
17:56
None of it is allowed to come back into my mouth. You're right.
18:02
You say, you start to say: "I'm okay." , and then it's like... Sean: Yeah. And then they hear you. Pedro: "Dude." ... Sean: They hear you. Pedro: "I'll kill you." . Uh. Pedro: So, um... there's a second wave. My God.
18:14
I was in Southern California, and I, I, at that point, you know, Mexican food, Tex-Mex, then I come to New York, for 20 years eople are like: "No, this place is good Mexican."
18:31
, and I'm just like: "No, it's not. It's not." .
18:38
There's no good Mexican food in New York. Come for me.
18:43
Um, do I have a lot of, uh, liquefied, uh, mucus coming out of my nose? Sean: No. You know what?
18:49
You have, like, sort of, a "wing eight shine", that I've come to recognize. Pedro: I got ya.
18:53
Sean: And I'm sure I got the same thing going on, but it's just kind of a glow, if anything. You know? You look great. You look great. Pedro: Okay. Thank you. Mm.
19:18
Sean: This next one is "Taco Vibes Only".
19:21
Pedro: "Taco Vibes Only".
19:21
<i>Butterfly</i> bakery of Vermont?
19:25
How bad could Vermont be? Sean: Right. Pedro: Okay.
19:28
Has anybody ever projectile vomited on, during your, during your...
19:36
Sean: No, you could break new ground. Pedro: Really?
19:37
I just feel like there's tingles that I didn't even know there were...
19:43
I, I'm learning about where all my nerve endings are around my lips.
19:48
Sean: Just full, uh, MRI scan, over here.
19:52
Look at you going in, though. Pedro: Okay, Vermont.
19:58
Sean: They know a little something.
19:58
Pedro: Doesn't really matter, 'cause my mouth is dead. Sean: Yep. Exactly. Pedro: It's numb. Sean: Scorched earth.
20:01
Pedro: It is scorched earth. Okay.
20:07
Sean: Thinking back early on in your career, when you'd do guest spots on shows like "<i>NYPD</i> <i>Blue</i>", "<i>Law and Order</i>", "<i>CSI</i>", was there a role that stands out in your memory, because it was like, maybe, an unusually complicated character or, like, unusually fun to play?
20:22
Pedro: Um, there was a really, really unusually fun character that I played on "<i>NYPD Blue</i>", this goth guy named Dio.
20:28
And he had a, you know, he'd got all these, like, fake piercings, and he's this teenager and he's hitting on the, on the female cop.
20:36
At one point, he has a, a pentagram on the inside of his palm that they made with like a black sharpie.
20:46
And I lick it and I make up some Satanic language.
20:52
And I thought, you know, that it's supposed to be like Latin or something.
20:55
And I remember thinking: "Well, what, do you have like, do you have Latin words that I'm supposed to learn?" .
21:01
And they're like: "No, dude, just make it up."
21:01
, and I was like: "Oh, okay." .
21:07
It was the kind of thing, it was, like...
21:07
you know, I lick the, I lick the hand, and then I turn slowly towards the camera going...
21:16
(<i>speaks in a made up language</i>)... you know.
21:19
Some crazy shit like that, on an episode of your <i>ABC</i> network television hit, "<i>NYPD Blue</i>". I made up the language. Yeah.
21:30
Sean: And they can't take that away from you. Pedro: They can't.
21:32
Sean: They can't take that one away from you.
21:33
Pedro: What are you doing with that? How much did you put on?
21:42
Is this as bad as "Da' Bomb"?
21:44
Sean: Nothing's as bad as "Da' Bomb". Pedro: All right. Get a good... Sean: There you go. That's perfect.
21:48
Pedro: I need people to like me. You know what I mean? Very...
21:54
Sean: If not, what's it all for? You kno? Pedro: Exactly.
21:55
What the hell is this all for? Sean: Cheers, Pedro. What a, what a ride.
22:00
Pedro: I had such a nice time. To a point. Sean: I understand. I get it. Feeling it out.
22:13
Looks like we're in a good place, though. Pedro: Yeah. Sean: I know. Pedro: Yeah. Sean: Look at you. Pedro: That's good. Yeah, that's good.
22:28
Sean: All right, Pedro Pascal.
22:28
To close things out, you know, we talked about how the, how the cinema was a place that you and your family could soak in pop culture.
22:36
But, I know that another formative experience for you was seeing live concerts.
22:41
You know, the first show that you went to with <i>Iggy Pop</i> and <i>The Police</i>, all the way... go ahead, let that go. Let that go.
22:47
All the way to curling your lip and performing Billy Idol in the mirror.
22:52
So, to close things out, my question to you is this with your brain on fire and mouth ablaze, why is Prince's "<i>Purple Rain</i>" the song you'd most want to hear at your funeral?
23:02
Pedro: It's my favorite song.
23:04
It's the most moving song.
23:06
I don't know why, it always emerges.
23:08
Even before I actively just started implementing it into my spiritual routine, essentially. I didn't go to church.
23:16
I was raised by <i>HBO</i>, Spielberg and Prince.
23:20
And, um, for me, "<i>Purple Rain</i>" is like the most emotionally cathartic, the most musically sophisticated song that I can think of.
23:31
If it's casually, or spontaneously, playing somewhere, um, I, I'm, like, I'm not...
23:42
I don't have emotional space to, to go there, 'cause it just moves me so deeply.
23:49
Sean: And what a way to go out.
23:49
And look at you, taking on the wings of death and still living to tell the tale.
23:55
We can hold off on that funeral, Pedro Pascal.
23:58
Now there's nothing left to do, but roll out the red carpet for you. Pedro: Live another day?
24:02
Sean: This camera, this camera, or this camera.
24:04
Let the people know what you have going on in your life.
24:06
Pedro: What do I have going?
24:06
Okay, um, I would say that there's a, there's a gap in between my back molar and my front tooth.
24:14
That's where the chicken gets stuck and it continues to, sort of, burn.
24:18
But, I've gotten to the point...
24:18
you should know this, too.
24:23
That I'm, I'm used to the sensation of, um, my jaw having been melted away by, uh, battery acid, maybe.
24:35
And, um, and, and then, I think I'm gonna go to the <i>Whitney Museum</i>, this afternoon, unless I, uh, shit myself. Goodbye. Pedro: Is it okay? Sean: You did so good. You did so good.
24:59
Pedro: Do you wanna, do you wanna feel, like, real wet? Sean: Yeah. Pedro: Like, that's wet. Sean: Oh, yeah.
25:03
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
25:05
Pedro: Like full on tears that come from the side of your head.
25:08
Sean: Well, it won't be in vain, because you crushed it. Pedro: Oh, thanks, man.
25:12
Pedro: I'll button back up. Such a great show.
25:14
Thanks for having me, man.
25:16
I feel like I'm finally cool to people that I care the most about. Sean: Yeah. You know what?
25:26
Sean: <i>Hot Ones</i> fans. Exciting news.
25:28
The season 20 <i>Hot Ones</i> 10 Pack is now available.
25:32
If you've ever watched from home and wondered to yourself like: "how hot are the wings really?"
25:36
, Or been one of those people that's like: "Oh, they're only taking one bite." . Well, you know what?
25:40
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