Pedro for GQ Germany (09-10/20)
By Esma Annemon Dil • Photo by: Doug Inglish
Related: photoshoot / list of articles / Auf Deutch
It’s almost eerie how empty the streets of Los Angeles are under the bright sun. While Europe is groping its way into its “new normal”, here in LA even those who are not neurotic are still apprehensive. Many of them haven’t met their friends for six months. The pandemic is out of control. The reactions to it, too. Inviting someone to the garden for a “distance drink” can lead to exactly the same amount of annoyance as suggesting a partner swap.
It was all the more surprising that Pedro Pascal immediately accepted. So for a drink, not to swap partners. He’s one of the big climbers of the year - and if Corona hadn’t put the film industry on compulsory leave, there probably wouldn’t have been time for this drink. After “Game of Thrones”, the series in which his skull was suddenly crushed, the lead role in “Narcos” followed in 2015 as a DEA agent on the hunt for Pablo Escobar, and now the step into the big Hollywood cinema. From October 1st, the native Chilean will appear in the blockbuster “Wonder Woman 1984”. In addition, the second season of the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian” starts in October on Disney+ with him in the lead role - but under his helmet. And somehow we are all under a helmet in 2020. We want to meet this man who worked as a waiter in New York a few years ago, whose parents are political refugees who found asylum in Denmark, settled in Texas and whose son went to the theater company one day in high school.
Then the rejection! While we were just preparing the house and the garden for a drink with Pedro, and organizing the fashion shoot - which is not easy under the current security precautions in LA -, his management called us with an unfortunate news: Pedro had - no, no Corona - to be operated due to an accident, and now in bed with a swelling face that does not allow any conversation or photo-session.
A few days later he was standing in front of the door, puffy, still with threads in his mouth, not been brought by a limo service, but in his own car - and a make-up artist he also picked up at home and brought with him. He helps her bringing in her work utensils - what a gentleman - and lets you know first: “Now I have time today!” At first we didn’t want to ask him about how he made it onto Hollywood’s A-List, but he promopts us.
Pedro Pascal: Sorry that I messed up your plans. The operation was an absolute emergency.
GQ: Really? We wondered if the swelling wasn’t the result of a secret visit to the cosmetic surgeon. They should currently not be able to save themselves from orders due to the quarantine in Hollywood.
I have to disappoint you there. I sped to the hospital a few days before our appointment with a tooth fracture and the worst pain of my life - one where the severe corona cases end up. I couldn’t reach a dentist! A specialist called me back shortly before the parking garage. I’ll spare you the details of the operation, truly scary. Anyway, the pain was hellish, despite the ten injections. The doctor said that I was not an isolated incident, as people grind their teeth extremely from stress at night.
What are you most afraid of at the moment?
How the government is dealing with the pandemic worries me even more than the virus itself. This lack of intelligent crisis management is a moral shame. The leadership crisis in the country makes us all orphans - penniless left to our own devices.
How have you spent the last few months?
With frozen pizza in a jogging suit in Venice Beach. I live in a back building that is in a family’s garden. There are actually plenty of good take-out restaurants nearby, but for some reason I like salami pizza from the supermarket.
That doesn’t exactly sound like a movie star lifestyle. How does it feel when you are slowed down from top speed to zero?
If you look at what else is going on in the world, you should keep your own sensitivities in check. I would have to lie if I pretended not to be disappointed. The whole team put an incredible amount of heart and soul into the production of “Wonder Woman 1984”. We had a lot of fun on set. I would have liked to travel the world with this feeling of liveliness, and present the film.
You come from a politically active, socialist family who fled Chile from the Pinochet regime. What do you remember back then?
My sister and I were born in Chile, but I was only 9 months old when we first found asylum in Denmark. From there we moved to San Antonio, Texas, where my father worked as a doctor at the university clinic.
Texas isn’t exactly known as a socialist utopia. How did you settle in there?
San Antonio is not a cowboy city, but rather diverse, with large Asian, black and Latino communities. I remember it as a romantic place, culturally open. The culture shock didn’t come until we later moved to Orange County, California. There the atmosphere was suddenly white, preppy and conservative.
How were you received in California?
I am still ashamed now when I think about the fact that my classmates just called me Peter and I didn’t correct that. I am Pedro. Even if I didn’t grow up in Chile, the country and the language are part of me. I was pretty unhappy in this environment. But at least I was able to switch to another school near Long Beach where I felt more comfortable. I found my way through the school theater there.
Were you able to visit your family’s home as a child?
Yes, when my parents landed on a list of exiles who were allowed to return without consequences. First, there was a big family reunion, then my sister and I were stayed there with relatives for a few months while my parents went back to Texas. They probably needed a break from us. They got us pretty young, a lively social life, and my mother was doing a PhD in psychology.
Was your mother a typical young psychologist who wants to apply her theoretical knowledge at home?
You mean, was I a guinea pig? In any case. I still remember weird tests and sessions disguised as a game, where someone watched me react to different toys. Although I couldn’t have been more than six, I was aware of the dynamic. I preferred to be asked about my dreams. It was always a wonderful opportunity to come up with fantastic stories.
Was that your first performance?
Without doubt! My mother was troubled by my strong imagination, as I would rather live in my fantasy world than reality. I hated school. I ended up in the “problem child” drawer. At some point the topics got more interesting and my grades got better. So many children are unnecessarily diagnosed with learning disabilities without considering that class can be downright daunting. Why is it acceptable to be so bored in class when there are more stimulating ways to impart knowledge?
With all that is happening in the world this summer, do you think that we are now taking social change seriously enough?
Hopefully. I went back to people for the first time after the lockdown to take the streets for “Black Lives Matter”. The energy was peaceful and hopeful until the police interfered and provoked serious rioting. After all, we cannot run away from the problems as we usually do and are less likely to distract ourselves. It seems as if the pressure of the pandemic has led to a new clarity: we do not want to continue like this.
The trailer for “Wonder Woman 1984” revives the optimism of the 80s. From today’s perspective that is almost nostalgic.
Not without a reason. You’re really happy for a full two hours. The director Patty Jenkins has made a film full of positive messages. We shot in Washington, DC, then in London and Spain - which sounds like I’m telling from a bygone era.
It is only now becoming clear what a privilege it is to be able to pack your things and fly anywhere. With an American passport you could always move freely. And that is why it is actually unimaginable in what small radius our life now takes place. In the last few years I have often withdrawn between filming because I was so much on the go and overstimulated. Friends have already complained about how comfortable I have become. We all took social exchange for granted and are only now realizing how much we depend on human closeness. In the past few weeks I have often wistfully thought of all the party and dinner invitations that I canceled earlier.
In LA, you spend more time in private spaces or in nature than in other metropolises that are more oriented towards public life. Could this city be your retreat after New York?
My real home is my friends. I lead a nomadic life from an early age and have never taken deep roots anywhere. Until recently, the physical home was a place between arrival and departure and therefore not something I wanted to complicate with the accumulation of things. On the contrary: without having read Marie Kondo’s book beforehand, I have freed myself of ballast in recent years and have already lived quite reduced.
Is there nothing that you collect or that you wouldn’t say goodbye to?
Books! I even have the literature I read as a teenager and in college. The other day I came across a box of old theater manuscripts and materials from my studies at New York University. I can’t easily part with art, just as I can’t part with lamps or old photos. On the other hand, furniture and clothes are not a problem.
Do you remember roles that the costumes really defined?
Yes, “Game of Thrones” comes to mind primarily. During this time I first understood what it means to be supported by a look as an actor. I owe that to the costume designer Michele Clapton. For my role, she developed these very feminine robes and brocade coats, which looked dressed but manly and in which I felt sexy. And of course Lindy Hemming’s power suits and Jan Sewell’s bleached hairstyle for the tycoon villain Maxwell Lord in “Wonder Woman 1984” were also very important. In terms of style, I didn’t see myself in this role at first, as the cuts and colors of the 80s don’t necessarily suit my body. I’m seventies by type.
Do you take inspiration like this into your private wardrobe?
In my spare time, a cool look is now being abandoned in favor of comfort. Occasionally, I feel sorry for the times when I expressed myself through a certain style. Hard to imagine that I went to raves as a teenager in the 90s; a real club kid with insane outfits: overalls, parachute pants, soccer jerseys and a top hat, as in the children’s book “The Cat In The Hat” by Dr. Seuss. Later in New York I was out and about with a clique in which it was very important to have a certain style. The fact that I am now only out and about in jogging pants is not really possible!
Anyone who plays in comic book adaptations actually becomes a bodybuilder and eats ten steamed chicken breasts a day. How about you?
My body wouldn’t go along with that. I find it hard enough to keep in shape. From your mid-40s you have to be a lot more disciplined. Until the tooth incident, I worked in the garden with a trainer several times a week to get the quarantine body under control.
Apart from this coach, is there any steady relationship in your life?
I am not that far yet. Maybe someday, but until then, I’ll show mercy. Unfortunately, I don’t even have absurd corona dating stories to offer.
What would get on your nerves the most if you had yourself as a roommate?
I can be pretty decisive. I have to scrape together all of my humanity so as not to push through my film selection every evening. If I want something, I don’t approach it from behind or passively-aggressively, but in frontal mode. I also tend to tunnel vision: if I feel bad, I cannot imagine that it will eventually get better. I find it difficult to put emotions into perspective or to cast off problems. Method acting really wouldn’t be for me at all. And that’s why I try to only work on projects that feel good, where you support and encourage each other.
Before trying on clothes [for the photoshoot], you spoke of a lack of self-esteem. How does that go with a career like yours?
Isn’t it interesting how these properties and conditions are related? Self-worth comes from within, but it is also influenced by what society values, as we often adopt critical views from outside. I lived in New York for 20 years, studied there and then, until my mid-30s, earned my living as a waiter because I couldn’t keep my head above water with theater and occasional film roles. Again and again it almost worked. The disappointment of repeatedly missing a perfect role or opportunity can be weary. When should you give up and what would plan B be? These questions arise not only for most actors, but also for many others,who struggle to survive professionally - no matter how much potential they have or how close the tip seems to be within reach. We are just realizing how much our narrow definition of success is destroying society. At the same time, we also become aware that origin and skin color still determine the likelihood of being able to lead a dignified existence.
What are the positive aspects of relatively late success as a leading man?
I have the feeling that I can shape my life myself - without being under pressure of accepting projects or having to develop a certain identity on social media. That certainly has to do with the fact that I am a man. Sadly, it’s different for women, and needs to change that - regardless of age -, they have been constrained by social conventions where they either expected to play a predefined character, or go through even more struggles to get their talent and skills recognized.
Life is always a risk management, but even more so than usual. What would you be ready to lose?
Generally speaking, if you don’t risk anything, you run the risk of achieving nothing. That goes for friendship, love, work, creativity. For everything that really means something to me, I have to be ready to take risks.
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