Pedro Pascal has been everywhere the past few weeks. The Awards Circuit was kind to Pascal, who had a mock feud with Kieran Culkin and won a SAG Award for Best Lead Actor for his performance as Joel Miller in The Last of Us. And yet, due to a little comment during a post-SAG interview, one of the things people seem to be fixating on the last few days is…wait… Pedro Pascal was on Buffy the Vampire Slayer?!
The answer is yes, Pascal appeared on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
As he said in the interview that started this frenzy, his entry-level lasted “about fifteen years.” Pascal goes on the discuss the struggles of being a working actor and mentions the impact the show had with a very specific anecdote. “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 it and not give up.”
The actor appeared in Season 4, Episode 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, titled “The Freshman.” He played Eddie, a freshman like Buffy, who developed an instant connection with her. In the show, he’s clean-shaven, tall, lanky, and looks vastly different from the star we know today. He was also about 24 when he played this role.
The bond between Buffy and Eddie comes to a very heartbreaking and swift end with he is turned into a vampire, and Buffy is forced to do as vampire slayers do and stake him.
Twenty-five years later, Pascal is set to reprise his role as Joel Miller in the second season of HBO’s hit drama The Last of Us. He will also be seen in the Gladiator sequel and is set to play Reed Richards, aka Mr. Fantastic in Marvel’s new Fantastic 4 reboot.