World premiere of ‘Behemoth!’ at the New York Film Festival: Pedro Pascal says learning the cello in three months was ‘hell and heaven’

The world premiere of “Behemoth!”, Tony Gilroy’s new film starring Pedro Pascal, was held on Friday at the New York Film Festival, where the film was selected as the Centerpiece of the 64th edition. After the press screening in the morning, Pascal appeared together with Gilroy and actors Eva Victor and Will Arnett at a press conference at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, as USA Today reports.

The star of “The Last of Us” had only three months to learn the cello, the instrument his character plays, and described the process as “hell and heaven.” “The cello was the main character of my life. I took it everywhere with me,” Pascal said with a smile. “You are supposed to spend a year learning how to hold the bow properly, and I had a week. It was joy, but it was the hardest thing I have ever done creatively.”

Written and directed by Gilroy — known for “Michael Clayton” and the series “Andor” — “Behemoth!” follows Alex Serian (Pascal), a Hollywood cellist who returns to Los Angeles to care for his sick mother, while he is haunted by the ghost of his ruthless father and begins a relationship with a young music prodigy. Olivia Wilde plays his explosive ex-girlfriend, Carol, while Eva Victor is Nadia, the violinist who becomes the emotional heart of the film, and Will Arnett plays Alex’s brother, a podcaster.

Victor said that for 20 seconds of “Happy Birthday” she worked for two months, three hours a day, and that the drama felt like fate, since her grandfather had been a violin and cello teacher. The film boasts a score by a trio of legendary composers — James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri and Michael Giacchino — and will be released in American cinemas on 4 December through Searchlight Pictures.