George Martin, author of the song “Song of Ice and Fire”, on the basis of which, in fact, the series “Game of Thrones” was filmed, is famous for his ability to impressively and unexpectedly kill his heroes. Oberin Martell was no exception. The Game of Thrones tries to make its characters as close to books as possible, and in some cases it doesn’t work out very well. But the Red Serpent from the Martell family and its history, the creators of the series conveyed really accurately.
Snake Tempter and Poisoner
As the younger brother of the ruler believes, Oberin was a rather licentious prince, moreover, a bisexual. Erratic sexual relations, lovers and mistresses, eight illegitimate daughters, four of whom were beloved Ellaria (they were called Sand Snakes in Dorn) were all known and open, but Oberin was respected and afraid. In addition to sexual fame, the younger Martell had endless duels, all of which were fatal. Oberin poisoned his weapons, and even a slight cut led to the death of the enemy. However, he could overthrow his enemies without such tricks, because he was an excellent fighter. Among other things, the younger Martell traveled a lot, studied various sciences, methods of healing, poisons, and also comprehended various combat arts.
The story of the Dornish prince
So, before us is the younger ruler of Dorn. His participation in the plot of the series begins with his arrival in King's Landing, as he was invited to the wedding of King Joffrey and his bride Margery from the Tyrrel House. Many fans of the book gladly noted the successful casting: in their opinion, that was exactly what Oberyn Martell should have been. The actor, who was selected for this role, possessed the very appearance of a “salt dornier”, as another character of the Song of Ice and Fire Tirion Lannister aptly put it, perhaps the only representative of this house whom the Dornish prince respected.
Big black shiny eyes under arched thin eyebrows on a gloomy face, streaked with deep folds, as well as a straight sharp nose complemented the image of an Dorian with thick black hair, barely touched by gray hair. So the Red Snake was described in the book, and he appeared in front of the audience when he came to avenge his sister Elia, the wife of Prince Reigar Targaryen, who was killed on the orders of the Lannisters during the capture of the Iron Throne by Robert Baratheon . Revenge is the main reason why Oberin Martell nevertheless came to the royal wedding.
The actor perfectly conveyed the feelings and emotions of the vengeful Dornier. The serpent volunteered to fight on behalf of Tyrion at the trial as a duel, because his opponent was the same Grigor "Mountain" Kligan who killed Elia. Thanks to martial art and cunning, Oberin was able to seriously injure and topple the Mountain, but his emotions engulfed him completely out of time. The prince lost his vigilance by making a fatal mistake. His death at the hands of a sworn enemy was truly terrifying. On this occasion, Dorn plunged into deep mourning.
From Chile to Hollywood
It is only natural that viewers and readers are interested in what a spectacular brunette so delightfully embodied the image of the Red Serpent named Oberyn Martell. The actor should be grateful for his Chilean origin for his exotic appearance.
On April 2, 1975, in the city of Santiago, Jose Pedro Balmaceda Pascal was born. But he did not live long in his historical homeland, as his family emigrated for political reasons to Denmark, and then to the United States, where the boy grew up. He was interested in acting craft since childhood, because the Chilean studied at two art schools.
Since 1993, Pedro Pascal settled in New York, and since 1999 he began to flicker on television. The handsome brunette appeared occasionally in such films as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, New York Police, Law and Order, Homeland, Graceland, Nikita, The Mentalist and other TV shows. He had more significant achievements on the stage, and the actor even won several awards for his play. An interesting fact: he shortened his long Chilean name several times in different ways, so that it was simple and memorable. In the credits, he was referred to as Pedro Balmaceda and Alexander Pascal, but he became known under a completely different name.
Finest hour
In 2014, Pedro Pascal got the role that literally turned his life upside down. He sent to casting a short video from his phone in not very good quality, and when he came to audition, he was handed the script. The future Dornish prince did not even understand that he was taken on the role. So he got into the “Game of Thrones” and gained world fame.
But not only fame was given to him by Oberyn Martell. The actor on the set found his love. His hero wanted to marry Cersei Lannister, a sworn enemy, in the life of the performer of this role, Lena Headey, conquered the heart of a brunette, and in July 2015 they had a daughter named Tallulah Kiarra. This is Pascal's first child, but Headey's second, who has a son from her first husband. The actors have not yet been married by legal marriage, but love is probably not a hindrance, and the couple looks absolutely happy.
Go to the big movie
The role in the cult show really brought incredible changes to the life of the handsome brunette. Actor Pedro Pascal now decided to conquer the big screen, and no wonder, because the invitations fell like a cornucopia. In 2015, the base comedy horror movie “Bloodsucking Dregs” with Pascal’s participation was released, but already in 2015 the blockbuster “The Great Wall” will be released, where the actor plays one of the main roles along with such stars as Matt Damon and Willem Dafoe. Next in line is the second film “Kingsman” in 2017. But Pascal doesn’t leave TV either: it’s worth noting the release of the Narco series about the life of Pablo Escobar last year.