Topics: Pedro Pascal, US News, Entertainment, Film and TV
Sarah Paulson says that she used to give Pedro Pascal money so he could eat before his big acting break.
While it might seem silly to think now, there was once a time when no one knew who Pascal was.
The Mandalorian star is one of the biggest stars in Hollywood right now, but one of his close friends has revealed that he struggled in the early days.
Speaking to Esquire, Paulson revealed that she used to help her buddy out.
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"He’s talked about this publicly, but there were times when I would give him my per diem from a job I was working on so that he could have money to feed himself," the American Horror Story actor told the outlet.
"You just want him to succeed. And that to me, I feel like, is the sign of a major movie star."
Reflecting on that time, Pascal himself said that he never thought he'd break through.
After getting so many rejections, the 48-year-old admitted that his confidence was shot.
"I died so many deaths,” he said. "My vision of it was that if I didn’t have some major exposure by the time I was twenty-nine years old, it was over, so I was constantly readjusting what it meant to commit my life to this profession, and giving up the idea of it looking like I thought it would when I was a kid.
"There were so many good reasons to let that delusion go."
But fortunately for you and me, he didn't, and now Pascal is one of the most successful actors around.
However, did you know that before starring as Joel in The Last Of Us or even Game of Thrones heartthrob Oberyn Martell, he was known by another name?
Prior to hitting the big time, he was previously landing smaller TV roles under a different moniker.
If you check out Pascal’s IMDB, then you might be surprised to see he’s had a cameo in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and also appeared in an episode of Law & Order in 2008.
And in the early 2000s, he also acted in Touched by an Angel, an American fantasy drama series that saw a trio of angels travelling the Earth to inspire lost souls with the teachings of God.
However, all of those roles were portrayed by Pascal under his birth name, Pedro Balmaceda. The reason for the switch to Pascal, however, is rather lovely.
He revealed that the professional name change was a decision made in tribute to his late mother.
In 2000, Pascal’s mother died by suicide. The actor was only 24 at the time and decided to change his name soon after to honour her.
As well as changing his name from ‘Balmaceda’ to ‘Pascal’ to remember his mother, he also told Variety that the decision was partially down to, “Americans [having] such a hard time pronouncing it.”
