Pedro Pascal Is the Mandalorian, but That’s Not Him Starring in Every Episode

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Pedro Pascal receives top billing on “The Mandalorian” for playing the title character, but it turns out that’s not actually Pascal underneath the helmet and armor in every episode of the buzzy Disney+ “Star Wars” series. In fact, at least one episode of “The Mandalorian” did not feature Pascal in any capacity. Bryce Dallas Howard tells Vulture that Pascal was absent from the fourth episode, “Sanctuary,” which she directed. Pascal did not act in the episode because he was starring on Broadway in “King Lear.”

So who is the real Mandalorian? The creation of the character was a joint effort among Pascal and doubles Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. Howard worked closely with Wayne when she was helming her episode. Wayne happens to the grandson of legendary Western star John Wayne. “He absolutely just brought everything to that character,” Howard told Vulture about working with Wayne. “We were able to find the moments and figure them out together.”

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Even when Pascal is not performing as the Mandalorian on set, he is always voicing the Mandalorian in episodes. Wayne says the two men saw each other “frequently” on set and collaborated to ensure the Mandalorian’s movements would be seamless between the two of them.

“[Pascal] would ask me, and I would ask him the same question, which is, ‘Why did you move like this during that moment?’” Wayne said. “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.”

Howard calls the Mandalorian that “Star Wars” fans are seeing on screen a “real collaboration” between the different actors. New episodes of “The Mandalorian” debut Fridays on Disney+. Head over to Vulture to read more about the doubles working on the show.

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