Pedro Pascal Says ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Residual Check Saved Him From Quitting Acting | Video

Pedro Pascal has become a mainstream star in recent years with roles in franchises from “The Mandalorian” to “Fantastic Four,” but he wasn’t always in as secure of a position. He shared in a recent interview with Entertainment Tonight that a residual check from an earlier role on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” was once the only reason he was able to pay his rent and not quit acting.

Pascal began his ET interview at the SAG Awards with praise for the acting community represented by the awards, where he was honored for his role on “The Last of Us.”

“That community has sustained my life as a professional,” Pascal said. “My entry-level lasted about 15 years.”

He continued by listing events in his life that he’d struggled with financially during that time, including how “Buffy” saved him when he was in a tight spot.

“We’re talking about being able to see a doctor, getting sick, getting a surgery, paying my rent when I had less than $7 in my account, and a residual from ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ showed up and saved the day, and literally is the reason I was able to stay in it and not give up,” Pascal said.

The actor appeared in the season premiere of Season 4 of “Buffy” in 1999, but one reason the appearance could slip below the radar is that it was before he began going by Pedro Pascal — at the time, he was credited as Pedro Balmaceda. He would later go on to use his mother’s last name, Pascal, following her death.

In that “Buffy” appearance, his character Eddie serves as the cute guy who bumps into Buffy Summers as she begins her freshman year at college. She helped Pascal’s lost student Eddie find his way on campus. They share a friendly, slightly flirty interaction as Pascal’s Eddie talks about the psychology professor he shares with Summers.

It looks like maybe it’s the beginning of a new couple for the show — until Eddie gets grabbed by a group of vampires. Watch the “Buffy” clip responsible for that fateful residual check here — along with his short-lived return as a vampire who meets Buffy and a stake.

Pascal’s past financial struggles have been publicly discussed before, previously by his close friend Sarah Paulson.

“There were times when I would give him my per diem from a job I was working on so that he could have money to feed himself,” Paulson told Esquire last year.

Kieran Culkin also teased Pascal during the February interview after their earlier kiss during the SAG Awards ceremony. You can watch the full interview in the video at the top of this story.

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