As we make our way through the first season of “The Mandalorian,” with episodes debuting weekly, the curtain is beginning to get pulled back on the secrets that litter the series. And no, not every secret has to do with some plot twist or reveal in the story. Sometimes, as in the case of a new revelation from director Bryce Dallas Howard, the secrets of “The Mandalorian” are as simple as whose face is inside the helmet.
Speaking to Vulture, Howard was asked about working with ‘Mandalorian’ star Pedro Pascal. And the director actually revealed that she didn’t work with Pascal, who plays the title character on the show. How is that possible? Well, thanks to the fact you never seen under the helmet, Lucasfilm is able to use anyone to play the bounty hunter, especially when Pascal is unavailable.
“He was in rehearsals for ‘King Lear’ on Broadway. And so, while we were doing my episode, I wasn’t working with Pedro,” she said.
As Vulture points out, actors Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder are credited in the episode as “Double – The Mandalorian,” so it’s assumed that they are the people behind the now-famous helmet. Of the men, Howard specifically mentions Wayne and said, “He absolutely just brought everything to that character, and we were able to find the moments and figure them out together.”
Wayne, himself, was interviewed and was asked about how often he saw Pascal on set. He said that he interacted with the lead actor “frequently” and explained, “[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.”
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So, while the characters on “The Mandalorian” truly have no idea what the title bounty hunter looks like, it seems as if the same can be said about the fans. Of course, that’s not necessarily a bad thing, as it’s fairly commonplace to have stunt doubles, stand-ins, and whatnot (especially in an industry featuring completely CGI characters), so it’s not like fans can get upset over this revelation.
If anything, it just goes to show you how much “movie magic” goes into something like “The Mandalorian.” Fans will be happy to know that, as far as we can tell, The Child (aka Baby Yoda) is indeed played by a 50-year-old descendant of Yaddle.
New episodes of the series premiere each Friday on Disney+.