Pedro Pascal reveals his 'psycho' method for memorizing lines
Pedro Pascal.
Amanda Edwards/Getty ImagesPedro Pascal proved that you have to trust the process when it comes to his method for memorizing lines.
During a SAG-AFTRA Foundation call interview with Pascal, 48, Kieran Culkin, Matthew MacfadyenAnd Billy Crudup earlier this month, the actors explained their different tactics for learning their lines. (The group of actors are all nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.)
“I bet I can find and show you the psychotic example, the physical example, that I have to do now to learn my lines,” Pascal said.
The The last of us Star started looking for a piece of paper about the Zoom call before holding it up to show the camera. On the page were several letters, written in neat columns and rows.
From supporting roles to leading roles. Pedro Pascal spent nearly two decades making one-off acting gigs in film and television before finding fame with his role in Game of Thrones in 2014. The Chilean native joined the cast of the fantasy drama in season 4 as Oberyn Martell. 'It was a dream, you […]
“This is like the psycho first letter of every word,” Pascal said, while Culkin, 41, replied: “Gibberish.”
Culkin and Macfadyen's jaws dropped as Pascal explained his method, while Pascal joked that he was 'the Unabomber' and continued to explain his process.
'You just use the first letter of each word in these kind of towers, these columns, I think. And then there's this very, very annoying way of making yourself learn the phrase,” he said.
Pascal added that his method allows him to “learn text very quickly” in a “scramble.” He joked that he is “taking away all the magic” by revealing his tactics.
“It's not even kind of artistic, it's really this technical way that I had to learn because of that horrible experience of forgetting your lines,” he said.
Pascal recalled a time when he completely forgot his lines on stage while performing a Shakespeare play in the past.
“I remember it absolutely evaporated. It just evaporated,” Pascal said. “And then you go through a kind of slow motion moment in front of the audience and you think, 'It's coming, it's not coming, it's not coming.' And then I remembered, and I just said, “Whatever.”
As the group burst into laughter at Pascal's story, he added, “There was nothing to say!”
Discussing his problems, Pascal added that he “tried an earpiece once,” but it didn't work for him.
“I couldn't make the adjustment in a scene, on camera. Someone did it and I thought, 'Let me try it.' And I found it very distracting,” he said.