Pedro Pascal almost quit acting after multiple rejections, personal tragedy

Pedro Pascal is a household name today, thanks to his performances in Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, and The Last of Us. But the Chilean-born American actor's rise to fame was not without its struggles. In a recent interview with Esquire, Pascal opened up about the hardships he faced before making it big. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Pascal moved to New York City in the 1990s and started auditioning for TV show roles and commercials. But he found himself constantly getting rejected. "I was getting my a** f**king kicked," he said. After a few years, he decided to move to Los Angeles to see if he could land some gigs there. He managed to get a few but roles but still struggled to get consistent work.

In the early 2000s, Pascal moved back to New York City and returned to the grind, going to auditions and facing more near misses. He began to worry that acting might not be the right career for him. "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 29 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."

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Pascal's struggles were compounded by personal tragedy. In 1998, his mother died, which took a toll on him emotionally. "I think about my mother a lot," he said. "She was a very warm, very, very funny person. She was very gregarious and so smart. She had a lot of friends and was very loving." Pascal's longtime friend and actress Sarah Paulson helped him out during this difficult time by giving him her per diem from a role she was working on so he could have money to feed himself.

Despite the setbacks, Pascal persevered and eventually landed his breakthrough role in Game of Thrones as Oberyn Martell or the Red Viper. From there, he went on to star in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us, cementing his place as one of Hollywood's most sought-after actors.

Pascal's story is a testament to the importance of perseverance and never giving up on one's dreams. His struggles and eventual success serve as an inspiration to anyone who may be facing similar challenges in their own lives.

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