Pedro Pascal doesn’t play The Mandalorian in every episode, it has now been revealed. Thanks in large part to the unstoppable Baby Yoda phenomenon, The Mandalorian has become a breakout hit for the streaming service Disney+. This is certainly great news for fans hoping Disney will continue generating a lot more Star Wars content for the new outlet (though don’t expect that content to include a show featuring Rise of Skywalker actors Oscar Isaac and John Boyega, as they’ve both made it clear they have no interest).
Of course, fans already were excited about The Mandalorian, which follows the adventures of a mysterious bounty hunter in the lawless days after the destruction of the Empire. Starring Pascal as the title character, the show thus far has provided fans with the expected nostalgic thrills, even revisiting the classic planet Tatooine during a recent episode. The show has also managed to solve a few lingering Star Wars mysteries, including one involving The Empire Strikes Back and a certain puzzling item clutched in the arms of a random background actor during the evacuation of Cloud City.
Another big Mandalorian mystery is the actual identity of the Mandalorian, whose face has not yet been seen after five episodes. As it turns out, the Mandalorian helmet actually hides a real life secret: the fact that lead actor Pascal doesn’t appear in all the episodes. As Bryce Dallas Howard recently revealed to Vulture, Pascal was not on the set at all for the episode she directed, entitled “Sanctuary.” She said:
With Pascal absent, the Mandalorian was physically played in “Sanctuary” by stunt doubles Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, with Wayne doing most of the work according to Howard. As Wayne himself revealed, he worked on every season 1 episode and is also working on season 2. Speaking to Vulture as well, he explained how he and Pascal collaborate in bringing Mando to life:
“He was in rehearsals for King Lear on Broadway. And so, while we were doing my episode, I wasn’t working with Pedro.”
Of course, Pascal himself does do all the voice acting for Mando, much as James Earl Jones did the vocal work for Darth Vader while David Prowse embodied the character physically. As with Vader, it is expected that Pascal will show his face at some point during the season (the show already revealed that Mandalorians do in fact remove their helmets, just not in front of other people), and indeed the actor let it out in an interview that his character’s real name is revealed at some point. So, fans anxious to know more about The Mandalorian, including what he looks like underneath that helmet, should get some answers somewhere along the way. Indeed, it wouldn’t make much sense to hire an actor like Pascal to play the role if you meant to keep him hidden behind a helmet the whole time.
“[Pascal] would ask me, and I would ask him the same question, which is, ‘Why did you move like this during that moment?’ We would go back and forth. The great thing about him is he’s not impressed with himself. He’s just an actor. And I mean that in the good way, not the bad way. He likes to learn and he likes to collaborate and he’s very good at it.”
The fact that The Mandalorian works well as a character despite the fact that he always has his helmet on is indeed testament to the solid work of Pascal, his doubles and the various episode directors. It’s actually somewhat amazing to realize that a show starring a man in a helmet and a tiny green puppet has proven to be so engaging and well-received by audiences.
More: Star Wars Theory: The Mandalorian’s Mystery Man Is Boba Fett
Source: Vulture
