Tony Gilroy on the Lunch With Pedro Pascal That Saved ‘Behemoth!’ and How the Film Explores ‘New Varieties of Loneliness’

Tony Gilroy says a lunch with Pedro Pascal rescued his film “Behemoth!” after Oscar Isaac left the project and the production could not be delayed further. Pascal took on the role of Alex Serian, a cellist returning to Los Angeles after 20 years, and began learning cello the day after a three-hour meeting with Gilroy.

The film grew from Gilroy’s interest in how movie scores are made, and follows Serian as he records music for films, including a major production called “Behemoth!”. Its music was created by nine composers working under equal terms, with 303 union musicians involved on the stage. Gilroy describes the film as a story about family and new forms of loneliness; it is due in cinemas on 4 December and is among this year’s Oscar contenders.