Playing the enigmatic Red Viper

IN EVERY book of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire, there is one standout character who leaves an impact.
So, it’s not surprising that in the fourth season of HBO’s The Game of Thrones – a TV adaptation of the book series, fans are introduced to the enigmatic Prince Oberyn Martell aka The Red Viper, who comes to King’s Landing with his paramour Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), for Prince Joffrey’s wedding.
When the nasty Joffrey (Jack Gleeson) choked to death during his wedding feast, the finger points to his uncle, Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), who is put on trial for the murder.
It is Oberyn, one of the judges at the trial, who steps up to be Tyrion’s champion and fight the formidable Sir Gregor Clegane (Hafthor Julius Bjornsson) aka The Mountain.
Oberyn has his own motives for taking on the challenge as Gregor had killed his beloved sister Elia and her child.
Playing the part of Oberyn is Pedro Pascal who has appeared in hit TV series such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Good Wife, Homeland and The Mentalist.
Right now, he is getting a lot of attention for his new role in The Game of Thrones season 4.
Pascal said during a tele-conference interview that he was already a fan of the TV series even before he got the part, and loves many of the characters who appeared in the earlier seasons, especially Arya Stark, played by Maisie Williams.
However, he confessed he only read about Oberyn after he got the part. “I picked up Martin’s book and read some of the chapters where this character was introduced.
“There is an incredible richness in the language that Martin writes and it’s very informative and helped me understand the many layers of the character.”
Martin writes beautiful dialogues for his characters in the book and Oberyn has some brilliant lines.
When asked how much was retained for the TV series, Pascal said: “I think [series creators] David [Benioff] and Dan [D.B. Weiss] find a way to keep the diamonds in the book.
“Of course, there is no way to adapt all of it and some things are shaped differently in translation.
“I think more times than not, they kept the best things in the book. Many of the best lines are created originally by them and the others are adapted differently from the book.”
On how he approached his character, Pascal said: “If anyone had done any harm to a family member, it would provoke in us a great anger and taste for blood.
“Personally, I have an older sister who is close to me. That’s an immediate connection to Oberyn’s past.
“It seems that Elia is his greatest love and so much of his person is shaped by her death.”
Pascal added that Oberyn approaches life without fear and does not limit himself in experiences and pleasures.
“He is a good leader and father. I think he is a progressive thinker and refuses to follow conventions.”
The fight scene between Oberyn and Gregor is not only one of the highlights of the book (A Storm of Swords) but also the TV series.
Pascal said it took four to five days to shoot and he did not sustain any injuries because, as dangerous as it looked, it was all executed safely by the stunt team.
Shot on set in Croatia, the filming had an air of excitement for everyone. “It felt just as epic as people are anticipating it to be,” he said.
Season four of The Game of Thrones airs at 10pm every Sunday (except June 1) on HBO and HBO HD (Astro channel 411 and 431).