When speaking to friend and fellow thespian Sarah Paulson for Interview Magazine in 2014, Pascal and Paulson reminisced about the former’s brush with “Primal Fear” and potential stardom at a young age:
“PAULSON: Do you remember your first audition?
PASCAL: I remember perfectly. It’s going to date me in such a hardcore way.
PAULSON: Everyone knows how old you are anyway so go ahead. There’s no hiding from that.
PASCAL: I know. My first audition was for ‘Primal Fear’ (1996). Do you remember that movie? With Edward Norton.
PAULSON: I remember you auditioning for it. I remember you telling me all about it.
PASCAL: I was totally in over my head. I auditioned for that in New York and then I went to L.A. for it. I didn’t get it and was unemployed for about 10 years.”
Just from what little information Pascal reveals here, it’s not entirely clear whether he was up for the role that eventually went to Norton or not. After all, the film involves a few minor male supporting characters who are around the same age, so it could’ve been one of those parts that Pascal was reading for. However, given the regret he implies about not getting the part and his comment about auditioning in both New York and L.A. for it, it seems likely that Pascal was up for the part of Aaron Stampler, a 19-year old altar boy who is put on trial for the murder of an Archbishop which it appears he committed. Things get complicated once an unscrupulous defense attorney, Martin Vail (Richard Gere), takes on Aaron’s case and discovers the boy might have a genuine case of dissociative identity disorder.
The part is a juicy, showcase supporting role, and it gained Norton not just recognition by the public, but accolades such as a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award nomination. Norton’s ability to tap into a sociopathic menace is what helps him make the part his own, and while Pascal is a fabulous actor, he has such an innate sense of decency (hence his status as one of the internet’s most beloved figures) that it’s difficult to imagine Pascal could’ve made Aaron as creepy. But who knows — perhaps Pascal’s innocent exterior was what director Gregory Hoblit was thinking of subverting.
In any case, while “Primal Fear” would have undoubtedly still been a great movie with Pascal in the part, and while it would’ve been nice for Pascal to have a jumpstart to his screen career, it seems that all worked out well in the end. It’s a great example of why, to make it as an actor, you can’t give up after the first (or even the hundredth) audition. Talent just needs the right conditions to be discovered, and, like life, the possibilities are numerous.
