Pedro Pascal Explains The Beautiful Reason The Mandalorian Took Off His Helmet
"Star Wars" fever is running rampant right now as Lucasfilm and Disney continue to whet the appetites of fans across the globe with their annual Celebration convention in Anaheim, California. As with past conventions, trailers, new content, and news related to the ever-evolving "Star Wars" universe will be released throughout the holiday weekend. This includes stuff related to the franchise's flagship Disney+ series "The Mandalorian," which will be returning for Season 3 later this year. With all the hoopla surrounding Jon Favreau's darling space saga — especially after its Season 2 finale and Mando's "The Book of Boba Fett" appearance with Grogu — the demand for a new "Mandalorian" story has never been higher.
"I can remain a little oblivious in terms of how much people are taking this in and how much I'm a part of that," series lead Pedro Pascal explained in a new interview with Vanity Fair. "Maybe I'm a little bit of a commitment-phobe, because the coolness of it really, really excites me, and the lifespan of it really intimidates me."
When fans last saw Pascal's Din Djarin character in "The Mandalorian," the galaxy-trotting bounty hunter was saying goodbye to his beloved travel buddy Grogu aka Baby Yoda. The little guy was being taken off to receive training from Luke Skywalker, who made a grand entrance in the show's finale. Right before seeing him off, Djarin made the shocking decision to break his Mandalorian code and take off his iconic helmet in front of Grogu and Luke before saying goodbye. In his interview with Vanity Fair, Pascal explained the beautiful reason why.
Mando wanted to connect with Grogu
According to Pedro Pascal, the heartfelt helmet moment that Din Djarin shares with Grogu at the end of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 was something he'd been wanting to do for quite some time as a way to connect the two characters on a more emotional and intimate level.
"I remember having a conversation with Jon [Favreau], and I don't know if he permitted me to believe that it came from a collaboration, or if it was the plan all along, but I definitely said the best way for him to take off his helmet to show his face would be because he wants the child to see him. And because the child wants to," Pascal told Vanity Fair. "He wants to experience that kind of intimacy in the relationship."
Pascal also noted how the only other rare time his helmet came off in the Disney+ series involved him being injured and didn't actually see him take it off himself. Instead, it's Taika Waititi's IG-11 droid that winds up removing it. "They said very specifically that he gets away with taking it off once in the first season because it's in front of a droid and not a human," Pascal explained. "He has to remove his helmet to survive an injury. So there's a little gray area at the start. Then of course, this beautiful relationship develops with The Child, Grogu."