Despite still being a new addition to the online streaming landscape, Disney+ already has a massive hit on its hands in the shape of space western series The Mandalorian. Pedro Pascal stars in the show as Din Djarin, a bounty hunter known as the titular Mandalorian. Created along the lines of the iconic character of Boba Fett, Djarin has sworn never to remove his helmet in front of others. This proves to be a problem for Pascal while shooting, as the actor revealed that emoting while wearing the helmet is the toughest part of his role as “Mando”.
“The biggest challenge in playing Mando in Season Two is still the obvious, in that, how to in subtle ways, be it through vocal intonation or physical stillness/posture, large movements, small movements, to dramatically convey a scene and keep the character compelling because he is economical anyway, much less being armored from the tips of his toes to the top of his head. It is a physical challenge that is met creatively in terms of how technically you can achieve that. It will always be particularly unique in that regard.”
Pedro Pascal first burst into prominence with a significant role in Game of Thrones. The actor portrayed Oberyn Martell, a charismatic royal who was as quick with his speech as he was with his weapons, whose battle with Gregor Clegane became one of the show’s most famous scenes. Going from that to playing a man of few words like Mando was a challenge for Pascal, and he credits his work in theater for preparing him for the task.
“I’m not even sure if I would be able to do it if it weren’t for the amount of direct experience that I’ve had with being on stage to understand how to posture yourself. How to physically frame yourself into something and to tell a story with a gesture, with a stance, or with very, very specific vocal intonation.”
Of course, while Pascal is technically the star of The Mandalorian, the true breakout character of the series is the adorable alien child that fans nicknamed Baby Yoda, and which was only recently revealed to have an actual name, “Grogu“. While fans cannot get enough of Grogu, Pascal found another performer on the sets of the second season of the show to be a much bigger object of fascination, namely writer and comedian Amy Sedaris, who plays gruff Tatooine mechanic Peli Motto.
“I followed Amy Sedaris around like a puppy. [I was] like, ‘Hey again. I’m not leaving your side until you wrap,’ and she’s like, ‘Cool’. I love the Child – it really is adorable – and it is so fascinating to see it work, but somebody who makes you spit-laugh right into your helmet will always be my favorite thing.”
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, and Giancarlo Esposito. New episodes arrive Fridays on Disney+. This news first appeared at Entertainment Tonight.
