The Truth About Who Really Plays The Mandalorian
If there's one thing Star Wars fans universally love, it's the opportunity to investigate and pick apart behind-the-scenes minutiae — little details that allow true fans to understand their favorite media property inside and out. To that end, the Disney+ docuseries Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian has offered a fascinating peek behind the curtain at the first-ever Star Wars live-action series.
The first season of The Mandalorian provided viewers with exactly the kind of Star Wars experience many have been clamoring for since 1983's Return of the Jedi. In contrast to the mainline films, The Mandalorian is an understated, character-driven space western that doesn't rely on bombastic space battles or sprawling generational drama. While both the prequel and sequel trilogies promise to be sources of debate for years to come, the eight-part first season of Jon Favreau's bounty hunting adventure seems to have united an often-volatile fanbase, becoming the new gold standard for the franchise.
Of course, no effort as herculean as The Mandalorian goes off by the grace of just one talent. In addition to benefiting from Favreau's capable storytelling, the series has been elevated by a stable of all-star talent both in front of and behind the camera. Principal among those key players is Mando himself, lead actor Pedro Pascal. The fact that the character became such a compelling protagonist from behind an expressionless mask is nothing short of miraculous, and Pascal deserves a bounty of praise. But he didn't work alone — as Pascal explained in the Disney Gallery documentary, he had a little help bringing this character to life.
Pedro Pascal wasn't the only actor playing Mando in season 1
Pascal admits in Disney Gallery that he was only a part-time bounty hunter. His character's cryptic appearance behind his Mandalorian armor provided the series' A-list directors with ample opportunity to sub stunt doubles and specialized suit performers into Pascal's scenes.
According to the actor himself, he had not just one, but two separate stunt doubles stepping into his shiny boots to pull off some of the first season's tricky action sequences. Per the docuseries, Pascal's first double, Lateef Crowder, is a trained martial artist with expertise in capoeira and jujitsu. Crowder was the one stepping in whenever Mando had to engage in a sequence of acrobatic fisticuffs. His second double, Brendan Wayne, had the equally badass task of making Mando an expert gunslinger. All the wild west pistol work that Mando displays throughout season 1 is courtesy of Wayne.
It says something about Favreau and company's meticulous attention to detail that they brought in two highly specialized performers just to bring some verisimilitude to his show's lead. Adding two more actors to make Mando both a martial arts expert and a quick-draw gunslinger is just one of the many choices that went into making The Mandalorian the entertaining Star Wars experience that it is.
The Mandalorian's first season is currently streaming on Disney+, with a second season scheduled to arrive this fall.