Pedro Pascal opens up about learning the cello and his new film Behemoth!

Pedro Pascal started cello lessons more than a year before his new movie was even greenlit, working with musicians Timothy Loo and Charlie Tyler after a July meeting with writer and director Tony Gilroy. The Searchlight Pictures film, titled "Behemoth!," features Pascal in the lead role of Alex Serian, a gifted cellist returning to Los Angeles after 20 years on the road. Filming took place across Los Angeles and wrapped on its final day in Vienna. Pascal described the cello work as a highly intense lip sync that left him feeling back-footed throughout the shoot. He called it the hardest thing he has ever done, while also naming it his favorite filmmaking experience and missing the character more than any other he has played. The movie premiered as the centerpiece selection of the New York Film Festival on October 2 and opens in theaters on December 4.

Context

Actor Pedro Pascal gained widespread international recognition later in his career through prominent television roles after spending two decades performing in smaller stage and television parts. Movies centered around classical musicians often explore deep themes of personal isolation and emotional expression through art rather than spoken dialogue.