Pedro Pascal Speaks About Chilean Parents’ Immigration Story — ‘They Were So Brave’
Pedro Pascal’s SNL episode this past weekend was everything anyone could expect from the maverick actor — and more.
Hailed as charming and hilarious, Pascal’s appearance in skits like that dinner sketch left us rolling on the floor. The “Game of Thrones” actor starred as nostalgic video game mainstay Mario, as a “protective mom” alongside newcomer Marcello Hernández, and as a compliment-heavy Italian waiter.
The best part of the night, though? Pascal’s monologue that unexpectedly talked about his parents’ emotional immigration story.
The actor’s monologue started out in typical SNL fashion: high-energy and poking fun at his life in every way possible. Starring in the critically-acclaimed, apocalyptic, bleak series “The Last Of Us,” Pascal joked: “For some HBO shows, you get to shoot in a five-star Italian resort… but I said, ‘No, that’s too easy. I want to shoot in a freezing Canadian forest while being chased around by a guy whose head looks like a genital wart.'” LOL.
After making the audience laugh with his quips, Pascal dove into his personal life. The actor explained that he was born in Chile, and has “34 first cousins” who still live there (true story). Speaking about his cousins, the “Mandalorian” star said, “They’re very proud of me.”
How does he know his cousins are so proud, you may ask? Well, they give out his phone number “to every single person” they meet. So people in his birthplace of Santiago will text him inviting him to weddings, or asking him about baby Yoda. Honestly, we get it.
At that point, Pascal dove a bit deeper into his life — and even got emotional. It all started when he described his beginnings as an actor, playing “small parts” in every crime show. He played two different characters in Law & Order, (what?!) describing it as having “range.”
The actor’s come-up was long-winded, studying acting at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in the 90s and paying his dues as a working actor for more than 15 years. In fact, after graduating in 1997, Pascal didn’t get his big break until his “Game of Thrones” role in 2014 (never forget Oberyn Martell), and when he starred in the first season of “Narcos” in 2015.
That being said, no matter how hard he worked, Pascal still owes it all to his immigrant parents. In his monologue, the actor explained that his parents fled Chile’s then-dictator Pinochet when Pascal was nine months old. He described, “[They] brought me and my sister to the U.S.”
With his voice cracking, Pascal continued: “They were so brave. And without them, I wouldn’t be here in this wonderful country, and I certainly wouldn’t be standing here with you all tonight.”
He finished his SNL monologue by giving a shout-out to his family watching in Chile (including those 34 cousins!). Switching to Spanish, he said, “Te amo. Te extraño. And stop giving out my phone number.”
While Pascal only slightly hinted at his parents’ immigration story, a deep-dive shows just how difficult it was. During the actor’s Reddit Q&A back in 2014, he explained to a user that his parents were “liberals” in Chile, and “were involved in the opposition movement” against Pinochet’s military regime.
He explained, “It was a really dangerous time, and a lot of people who spoke their mind were disappearing and in danger,” calling it a very “intense” time. While he called Chile “one of the most beautiful countries on earth,” there’s no doubt Pascal’s family went through serious adversity when he was a child.
As per a 2020 interview with Variety, Pascal’s parents went into hiding when he was just four months old. Six months later, they climbed the walls of the Venezuelan embassy in Chile, and successfully claimed asylum. At that point, they moved to Denmark before quickly landing in San Antonio, Texas.
Pascal later moved to Orange County, California when he was around 10, a place where he eventually realized his love of acting, but went through “bullying,” too.
Still, his love of acting endured, and he undoubtedly deserves all his success today. Taking his “Pascal” stage last name from his mother after she passed away in 1999 (he was born José Pedro Balmaceda), there’s no doubt the actor is a class-act.
