Typically, if an actor is playing a character under a mask or helmet, you’d imagine that actor is actually under that mask or helmet. Logical, right? But in theStar Warsuniverse, it is often not the case. Darth Vader was notably performed byDavid Prowsephysically andJames Earl Jonesvocally in the original trilogy. And more recently, as researched by our very ownLiz Shannon Miller for Vulture, we learned thatPedro Pascalrarely physically performed the role ofThe Mandalorianfor the Disney+ series on season 1. Instead, stunt performersBrendan WayneandLateef Crowdertended to play our masked bounty hunter, with Pascal dubbing in the voice later. Will this continue to be the case for season 2 of the show?
According to a Pascal interview withVariety, notasmuch. However, it’s important to note that Pascal didn’t even mind not being the literal man behind the mask on season 1 (he was busy shootingWonder Woman 1984and rehearsing for a Broadway run ofKing Lear). “If there were more than just a couple of pages of a one-on-one scene, I did feel uneasy about not, in some instances, being able to totally author that,” said Pascal of the performance tactics used. “But it was so easy in such a sort of practical and unexciting way for it to be up to them. When you’re dealing with a franchise as large as this, you are such a passenger to however they’re going to carve it out. It’s just so specific. It’s ‘Star Wars.'”
As for the “notasmuch” of season 2: Pascal did, indeed, share with Variety that “he was on the set far more, though he still sat out many of Mando’s stunts,” which feels like a more traditional arrangement for a live-action sci-fi/action role. But Pascal still feels humble about his impact on the show; when asked what it feels like to be “the face of one of the biggest pop-culture franchises in the world,” he responded cheekily: “I mean, come on, there isn’t a face! If you want to say, ‘You’re the silhouette’ — which is also a team effort — then, yeah… Can we just cut the shit and talk about the Child?” So two things are now confirmed: Pascal is physically inThe Mandalorianseason 2 more, and he’s as obsessed with Baby Yoda as we are.
The Mandalorianseason 2 comes to Disney+ October 30. Check outsome new posters here.
