Martin Scorsese's Cameo In The Mandalorian And Grogu, Explained

Contains spoilers for "The Mandalorian and Grogu"

It's good to get a quick recap of all three seasons of "The Mandalorian" before going into "The Mandalorian and Grogu." Even then, there will still be plenty to take you by surprise. In the film's opening title sequence, the main actors all get listed, and it's understandable if you're taken aback seeing Martin Scorsese's name appear. Fortunately, Scorsese's character appears in the first 25 minutes of "The Mandalorian and Grogu," so you won't be left in the dark for too long. 

When Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu arrive on Shakari to find Rotta the Hutt (voiced by Jeremy Allen White), they ask a food truck vendor for information. He's an alien, but make no mistake, that voice belongs to none other than the "Goodfellas" filmmaker. His large, bushy eyebrows resembling Scorsese's should also be a dead giveaway. And while it's not apparent in the film itself, this alien's name is confirmed to be Hugo, a nod to the 2011 film of the same name Scorsese directed.

Scorsese has really gotten into acting lately, at least in other people's projects. He's recently shown up in the film "Outcome" and had a great part in the first episode of Apple TV's "The Studio," playing himself in a memorable scene. The episode's director Evan Goldberg told Variety that everyone was blown away by his performance. "Unanimously we would say Martin Scorsese as an actor was unbelievable," Goldberg said.

Jon Favreau is a fantastic filmmaker in his own right, having helmed the likes of "Elf" and "Iron Man" in the past. But few directors working today are anywhere near the level of Martin Scorsese's pedigree, and, as one might expect, it was daunting directing such an influential figure. Favreau told SFX Magazine (via GamesRadar), "I know him, and I'm friendly with him when I see him. But also I'm a fan, so I get a little tongue-tied, to be honest with you, when I'm around him and his generation of filmmakers that were so influential on me."

It's notable that the entire Shakari sequence feels inspired by many of Scorsese's early films. The neon lights and emphasis on gangsters calls to mind Scorsese's early filmography, like "Taxi Driver," "Mean Streets," and "After Hours." But Hugo, and the fact that he's running a food truck, also feels like a nod to one of Favreau's films — 2014's "Chef." In that film, Favreau plays a restaurant cook who ventures out on his own to run a food truck and have more creative freedom. 

There's another connection that even hardcore Star Wars fans might've missed. Hugo is an Ardennian, and we've seen that alien species before in "Solo: A Star Wars Story." Rio Durant is an Ardennian pilot who's part of Han Solo's (Alden Ehrenreich) crew early on in the film, and Rio is voiced by none other than Favreau. While speaking with Fandango, Favreau said he intentionally connected the two Ardennians: "I gave our characters the same last name. So, our characters are related in theory." Hey, when you're the director, you can make yourself related to whoever you want.