Pedro Pascal Says He Had $7 in His Bank Account When This Television Role Saved Him

Pedro Pascal is one of the most in-demand actors working today, but the 48-year-old spent nearly 20 years paying his dues with small television and film gigs before landing his career-turning role on HBO's Game of Thrones. As such, it's not hard to imagine that Pascal went through some tough times, financially, before landing his big break.

To that point, Pascal was nearly broke when he landed a part on Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1999, as he told Entertainment Tonight while attending the Screen Actors Guild Awards a few weeks back, where he won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series for The Last of Us.

"My entry level lasted about 15 years, and we're talking about being able to see a doctor, getting sick, getting a surgery, paying my rent," Pascal explained. "I had less than $7 in my account and a residual from Buffy the Vampire Slayer showed up and saved the day and literally the reason I was able to stay in it and not give up."

In the episode, Pascal played Eddie, a college student Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) meets on her first day on campus. Of course, Eddie meets his fate when he is attacked by a group of vampires and turned undead; he is later slain by Buffy.

In the 15 years that followed before his short but memorable turn as Oberyn Martell on Game of Thrones, the so-called "cool, slutty daddy" likewise made appearances on series such as Touched by an Angel, Law & Order, and Nurse Jackie.

At any rate, Pascal clearly doesn't have any problem paying his rent these days.