Pedro Pascal Takes First Solo Film Lead at 51 in Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! After Oscar Isaac Exit
Updated
Updated · Vanity Fair · Jul 13
Pedro Pascal Takes First Solo Film Lead at 51 in Tony Gilroy's Behemoth! After Oscar Isaac Exit
3 articles · Updated · Vanity Fair · Jul 13
Summary
Pascal plays Alex, a prodigal cellist returning to Los Angeles for Hollywood scoring work, in what Gilroy calls the actor’s first true center-stage film role after Isaac left the project last August.
A three-hour meeting convinced Gilroy to recast rather than scrap the film, and Pascal then underwent intensive cello training he said was “10 times harder” than stunts or sword work.
Gilroy built the drama around the studio-musician world he researched for a year, using Alex’s recording sessions to trigger flashbacks explaining why the character left Los Angeles and what brings him back.
Nine composers — including Michael Giacchino, James Newton Howard and Alan Silvestri — scored the film’s fictional movies, an unusual setup that could leave Behemoth! ineligible for an Oscar under current Academy rules.
The project also serves Gilroy’s broader aim of spotlighting an endangered Los Angeles scoring ecosystem, which he says has been squeezed as more soundtrack work moves overseas.