Pedro Pascal plays cellist Alex Serian in Tony Gilroy's Behemoth!
Pedro Pascal plays renowned cellist Alex Serian in Behemoth!, Tony Gilroy's American drama about a professional cellist, according to Variety. The festival named the film as the Centerpiece selection, a headline gala slot, of the 64th New York Film Festival for its world premiere, according to Film at Lincoln Center.
Alex is a cellist picking up the pieces of a fractured life, according to Film at Lincoln Center. He is a former member of world-class symphony orchestras including in Chicago who now does session work, meaning playing hired by the job, for film-score recording orchestras, according to Variety. That work puts him in the studio rather than the concert hall.
Pascal learned to play the cello for the role and performs the playing on screen himself, according to Variety. In the story, the sessions are run by a demanding conductor played by Thomas Kretschmann, who oversees the movie-score recording, according to Variety. It is a workplace built on timing and pressure.
Gilroy directed the film as his fourth feature as a director and his first since The Bourne Legacy in 2012, according to Variety. He created and was showrunner, the person in day-to-day charge of a television series, for the Star Wars series Andor, according to Variety. The gap spans fourteen years behind the camera.
Olivia Wilde and Eva Victor star alongside Pascal, according to Searchlight Pictures. Gilroy, Pascal, Will Arnett and Victor discussed the film at the 64th New York Film Festival, according to Film at Lincoln Center. The festival programme listed 1 October 2026 for Behemoth!, according to Film at Lincoln Center.
What makes this stand out for audiences is the switch in scale. Gilroy built his reputation on thrillers and large television production. Here the focus narrows to one musician, one instrument and the daily grind of studio sessions.
