Pedro Pascal reflects on learning Cello for Behemoth!

Pedro Pascal is reflecting on the grueling process of mastering the cello for his new film Behemoth!, which premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 2. The Last of Us star had just three months to learn the instrument convincingly enough to play Alex, an internationally acclaimed Hollywood session cellist navigating grief, romance and a complicated family history in Tony Gilroy's new drama. "The cello was the main character of my life. I took it everywhere with me," Pascal said of his preparation. Pascal described the accelerated timeline as brutal by any normal musical standard. "You're supposed to spend a year learning how to really hold the bow correctly and I had a week," he said. "I never caught up to it, which was the ecstasy of it, I suppose. It was a joy, but it was the hardest thing I've ever done creatively." He's previously compared the experience unfavorably to even his most physically demanding past roles, telling Vanity Fair that learning to convincingly perform Tchaikovsky on cello made his work in projects like Gladiator II and Game of Thrones look easy by comparison. Pascal reportedly stepped into the role after Oscar Isaac departed the project, and spent hours practicing each night after wrapping filming to make his technique believable. The film carried unexpected personal resonance for Pascal as well, who noted the timing felt like "kismet" given that his own grandfather had worked as a violin and cello teacher and had passed away just a couple of months before production began. Behemoth!, written and directed by Gilroy, also stars Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, David Harbour, Will Arnett, Matthew Lillard, Alexa Swinton and Margarita Levieva, and is set for theatrical release on December 4.