Pedro Pascal has described learning the cello for Behemoth! as the "most challenging" task he has encountered in his acting career.
The 51-year-old star of The Last Of Us plays Alex Serian in the upcoming feature film, portraying a gifted, classically trained musician who returns to Los Angeles and film scoring after touring globally.
In order to depict the character believably, the actor had to pick up the cello under strict time constraints.
Appearing on the red carpet at the UK premiere for the BFI London Film Festival, Pascal confessed that learning the instrument was "the most challenging" endeavor he has managed across his entire career.
The actor noted that he would rather "choose fighting the Mountain", referencing the brutal warrior in HBO’s Game Of Thrones which he previously featured in, "over learning how to play the cello convincingly".
He added that he would also prefer being tossed "off a cliff with Nicolas Cage" over learning the instrument, referencing a stunt sequence where the duo leapt off a cliff in 2022's The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent.
"Although now I’m in love with the instrument, and in love with the sound," he remarked.
"It was always my favourite instrument sort of secretly and it’s really nice physical company.
"The size of it and the kind of embrace that it is to have a cello is an incredible comfort, but boy sometimes it is not on your side when you want to make it sing."
The Chilean-American actor features in the drama alongside Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor and Will Arnett, under the direction of The Bourne Legacy and Michael Clayton filmmaker Tony Gilroy.
The part was initially meant for Frankenstein star Oscar Isaac; however, he reportedly stepped down last August, leading to Pascal taking over the lead role.
Gilroy offered high praise for Pascal, crediting his performance with delivering the film's "effervescence".
He stated: "I don’t have a movie without him.
"The movie was about to fall apart when he came in, and he didn’t just resurrect the movie, he made it possible.
"He’s the exclamation point. He’s the thing that lets the movie have its effervescence and its pop."
The filmmaker noted that raising funds proved difficult because of its Los Angeles location.
He said: "It’s not the kind of picture that’s getting greenlit all the time every day.
"It’s a mid-level. It’s not a sequel. It’s not IP. It’s all the things that movie making used to be.
"We had to make the movie in Southern California. We can’t go someplace else. It’s a movie about Los Angeles as a character, and the music community of LA, and that’s a lot more expensive than making the movie someplace else.
"It was a stretch, but we did it economically and you know you’re not getting a lot of movies like this at this point. We’ll see how many more there are."
Behemoth! hits UK cinemas on December 4.
Read MoreHow age could be silently influencing Celebrity Traitors decisions
Ed Gamble says Ross Kemp on Traitors is ‘one of funniest things I’ve ever seen’
Paul McCartney reveals his main issue with Sam Mendes’ Beatles biopic
Selma Blair arrested: Actor facing charges after allegedly biting flight attendant
Selma Blair charged after biting flight attendant in alleged plane meltdown: report
Ben Affleck names ‘doomed’ film which was ‘low point’ of his career
