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Pedro Pascal retells the rather painful story of his family's emigration

Pedro Pascal retells the rather painful story of his family's emigration

Pedro Pascal has become one of Hollywood's most recognizable and beloved figures, but his journey to this point could not have been possible without his parents' arduous journey from their home country of Chile. The Last of Us actor appeared on this week's episode of the Smartless podcast, detailing how he and his family became political refugees in the 1970s after being forced to flee the rule of former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. Pascal said that:

"The parents were young students at the time and that although they were not revolutionaries by any stretch of the imagination, the mother's first cousin was very involved in the opposition movement against the military regime."

He went on to say that a victim of a gunfight, one in which his parents were not involved, was taken to his home so that his father, who was doing a residency at a local hospital, could could help treat the wound. His parents also agreed to hide the person for a while. Pascal, who was just four months old at the time, said he was told that the person who brought the victim to their home was then arrested and tortured.

"They came looking for my parents, and so my parents had to hide for about six months. The parents eventually found a way to physically climb over the wall of the Venezuelan embassy in Santiago and ask for asylum. And it worked."

Pascal and his family were granted asylum in Denmark before immigrating to the United States. His parents raised him and his siblings in Texas and Southern California. The "Game of Thrones" actor credits his parents for the success he's enjoying today, a sentiment he touched on in his "Saturday Night Live" monologue in February, when he said they were so brave.

"Without them, I wouldn't be in this wonderful place and I certainly wouldn't be standing here with you all tonight."

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