Pedro Pascal is reflecting on how his Buffy the Vampire Slayer role saved him financially.
“My entry level lasted about 15 years,” Pascal, 48, told Entertainment Tonight earlier this month. “We’re talking about being able to see a doctor, getting sick, having surgery, paying my rent. I had less than $7 in my bank account and a residual from Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed up and saved the day and literally is the reason I was able to stay in [Hollywood] and not give up.”
Pascal appeared on the season 4 premiere of the WB series as Eddie, a freshman at UC Sunnydale who bonds with Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) in their mutual struggle to adjust to college life. Their friendship is quickly squashed, however, when Eddie is turned into a vampire by a group of undead goths scavenging student’s belongings. Buffy, of course, is forced to drive a stake into his heart when she meets back up with her new pal. Friendship over.
Despite his time on the show being brief, both Pascal and Gellar, 46, look back on the cameo fondly. In February 2023, Gellar took to Instagram to share a throwback photo of the duo from the 1999 episode, captioning the post, “When #Mother met #Father.”
Pascal was alerted to the sweet shout-out the following week and recalled his fond memories of working with Gellar on set.
“Sarah Michelle Gellar posted about me? I need to get on the World Wide Web,” he quipped to ET before recalling the actress sharing a tasty treat with him in between scenes. “She had ice cream in her trailer, and she gave me some. I had to have lunch in the vamp mask. I remember everything.”
It may have taken nearly two decades for Pascal to find his big break, but he’s taken the world by storm in recent years. Last month, he won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for his role as Joel Miller in HBO’s The Last of Us. He was nominated against Succession’s Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin and Matthew Macfadyen as well as The Morning Show star Billy Crudup.
“This is wrong for a number of reasons. I’m a little drunk. I thought I could get drunk,” Pascal joked during the acceptance speech. “Thank you, HBO. Geez Louise, I’m making a fool of myself but thank you so much for this.”
He added, “I’ve been in the union since 1999 so this is an incredible f–king honor. I have no skills; I have no other interests, so the least you could do is give me a job. … I’m gonna have a panic attack and I’m gonna leave.”
Although his SAG was his one win this awards season, Pascal was also up for a Golden Globe and an Emmy for his role on the HBO series, where he stars as Joel, a hardened survivor in a post-apocalyptic version of America who becomes an unlikely father figure to a teen girl (Bella Ramsey). The show, which is based on the 2013 video game of the same name, was renewed for a second season in January 2023.
Pascal has also starred as Din Djarin on Disney+’s hit series The Mandalorian since its premiere in 2019. Last month, it was announced that he would play Reed Richards/Mr. Fantastic in Marvel’s upcoming Fantastic Four movie alongside Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. The film is set for a 2025 release and marks the third big-screen iteration of the comic book series.
“[I’m] beyond excited, especially to be in that cast, more than anything, with that director Matt Shakman,” Pascal told Access Hollywood in February. “To be invited into a family like that is a dream come true, and I can’t wait to spend all of my time with them.”
