"Figures out who the character really is": When David Benioff revealed why Pedro Pascal was the perfect choice of Oberyn Martell in GOT

Despite his limited screentime on Game of Thrones, Prince Oberyn Martell, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, became one of the more treasured characters on the hit HBO series. Thanks to Pascal’s magnetic and charming performance as the younger brother of the Prince of Dorne.

When Pedro Pascal was first cast, not many knew of the actor. His career skyrocketed after his appearance on the series. He went on to star in other successful ventures, including Narcos, Star Wars spinoff The Mandalorian, The Last of Us and Marvel Studios’ The Fantastic Four: First Steps.

Game of Thrones creator David Benioff credits Pedro Pascal for bringing the character to life. In an interview with Variety, Benioff shared,

“He figures out who the character really is and then he portrays that man, scouring off all falsehood…Plus, he’s really f***ing handsome.”

Pedro Pascal appeared as Prince Oberyn Martell in Season 4 of the hit HBO series based on George R.R. Martin’s bestselling books. Referred to as the ‘Red Viper’, Pascal plays a significant role on the show, though he appears only in seven episodes. The episode titled ‘The Mountain and the Viper’, which centers around the violent fight between the two characters, is often considered to be one of the best episodes from the series.

Pedro Pascal’s breakout role in Game of Thrones

Pedro Pascal was still establishing a name for himself in Hollywood when he landed the role of Oberyn Martell. He had sought help from his friend Sarah Paulson to reach out to Amanda Peet, who is married to David Benioff. His audition tape came to the creator's attention. Benioff quips about Pascal’s first audition,

“First of all, it was an iPhone selfie audition, which was unusual. And this wasn’t one of the new-fangled iPhones with the fancy cameras. It looked like shit; it was shot vertical; the whole thing was very amateurish. Except for the performance, which was intense and believable and just right.”

In Season 4 of Game of Thrones, Pedro Pascal as Oberyn Martell arrives in King’s Landing to partake in Prince Joffrey’s wedding. Covertly, though, he was also seeking revenge against the Lannisters because he believed that they were responsible for the death of Elia Martell, his sister. However, things quickly spiral out of control when Prince Joffrey is murdered and Tyrion Lannister is put on trial. When Tyrion demands a trial by combat, Oberyn volunteers to be his champion.

Benioff shares that casting Oberyn was one of the more vital decisions as his many colourful characteristics made him such an appealing personality, and it was critical that they got the right actor for it. Benioff recalled,

“That was such a tricky role to cast. Oberyn entered the story mid-stream, but required the swagger of a character who had been sparring with the other players off-screen for years. We were looking for an actor with charisma, sexual energy, physical menace and depth. He had to be seductive to both men and women; he had to be someone the audience could believe as a killer. Oberyn has a core of white-hot rage that motivates him, and we wanted someone who could convey that anger but also be funny, when called upon, and sensitive, when called upon.”

Oberyn is known to be a highly skilled warrior who is capable of standing tall on his own. And this is seen in his nonchalant attitude as well when he prepares to fight the Mountain. During the combat, he outshines the Mountain relatively easily at first. But it takes just one moment of misstep that leads to the Mountain taking control and crushing Oberyn’s head with his hands. It is one of the more shocking scenes on the show.

Benioff believes that Pedro Pascal left a lasting impression on the show, and the creators would not change anything. He shared,

“…we love Pedro. And we loved that character. But his death at the hands of the Mountain was one of our favorite brutal killings from George’s books. Part of the reason people remember Oberyn is because he died so horribly. And if we hadn’t killed him, poor Pedro never could have done “Narcos.” So, it worked out. Not for Oberyn. But for the rest of us.”

Game of Thrones is available to stream on HBO Max.

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