Pedro Pascal plays a man who lets life happen to him, and Tony Gilroy says he has never written a character like it before. The film Behemoth! premieres tonight, and Pascal’s Alex is the reason Gilroy reached back to a 1977 Italian classic to describe how the role works.
Alex as Passenger
Pascal described his character as a “passenger in his life,” a phrase Gilroy quickly clarified. While Alex may be a passenger, he is not passive. The film tells Alex’s career and upbringing in non-chronological order, and even in the present day, people come and go from his life without much warning. Gilroy framed the challenge in terms of an Italian actor he has always admired.
“I’ve always been fascinated by how Marcello Mastroianni manages to be a passenger in the movie but never passive,” Gilroy told the audience, pointing to the 1977 film A Special Day. “That’s the trick to this, to put him on the train and not have him run over by it.”
The Mastroianni Comparison
Gilroy described himself as a “freak” for Marcello Mastroianni. His admiration for the actor runs deep, and the comparison to A Special Day is exact. In that film, Mastroianni’s character moves through a chaotic story without being overwhelmed by it. Gilroy wants Pascal’s Alex to do the same.
“That became possible when [Pascal] came on,” Gilroy said. “Alex was sort of sitting there, waiting, but he wasn’t there until he came along.”
Oscar Isaac’s Turn
Oscar Isaac was once reported to be involved with the role, but he dropped out due to scheduling. The casting shuffle brought Pascal into the picture, and Gilroy credits him with making the passenger trick work.
The Cello Test
Pascal faced a practical problem when he signed on. The script required him to play the cello, and he had very limited time to learn it. Reading the script for the first time, he said it felt like a puzzle he was asked to put together. The two men had what Gilroy called a “come to Jesus meeting” where he bluntly asked Pascal whether he thought he could learn the instrument well enough in the time they had.
Pascal admitted he wasn’t sure. Gilroy called that the “right answer.” “I understand the assignment and I’m gonna jump right the hell in, but I can’t tell you if I’m going to get an A,” Pascal said. Later, he added, “The cello was the main character of my life for several weeks leading up to shooting. I took it with me everywhere.”
Gilroy approved.
What the Comparison Means
Gilroy’s framing matters because it explains how Pascal’s Alex stays active despite the chaos around him. A passenger who is passive lets the train run him over. A passenger who is not passive holds onto the seat. Pascal’s admission that he couldn’t promise an A was the right answer because it showed honesty — and honesty is a kind of agency.
The comparison to Mastroianni also gives Pascal a model. Gilroy’s goal is to keep Pascal’s Alex in that lane.
The Premiere Schedule
Behemoth! has its world premiere tonight. It opens in theaters on December 4.
Why This Matters
Gilroy’s description of Pascal as a “passenger in his life” who is not passive is a clever way to explain how a character stays active despite chaos around him. It is also a rare admission from a writer about how a specific actor changed the shape of a role. Gilroy saw the passenger trick in Mastroianni’s work, and Pascal was the right man to pull it off.
The cello test shows Pascal committing fully to the assignment, and Gilroy trusted him to deliver.
The Bottom Line
Gilroy has written a character who is carried along by events, but not carried away. The film premieres tonight, and the world premiere will mark the first public viewing of Alex. Here is what matters:
- The comparison to Mastroianni’s work shows what Gilroy wanted from Pascal’s performance.
- Pascal’s honesty about the cello was the right answer — admitting doubt is better than pretending confidence.
- The premiere tonight is the first chance to see if the passenger trick holds up on screen.
See the video the story is built around at The A.V. Club.
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