Pedro Pascal on The Mandalorian And Grogu: "It’s the longest I’ve got to play a character... That it should be Star Wars is very fitting, because I grew up watching it"

Having previously enjoyed huge success as a Disney streaming series, Star Wars offshoot The Mandalorian has now been expanded into a feature film, the brilliant The Mandalorian And Grogu. The movie sees Pedro Pascal reprise his role as bounty hunter Din Djarin, aka The Mandalorian, who’s once again accompanied throughout by his trusty sidekick Grogu – the breakout star of the series, with fans affectionately calling him ‘Baby Yoda’.

Following the fall of the Galactic Empire, Din and Grogu are enlisted by the New Republic, in the form of Colonel Ward (Sigourney Weaver), to rescue Rotta the Hutt (The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White) in exchange for information on a target. The Mandalorian And Grogu boasts all the qualities fans have come to expect from Star Wars movies, such as rip-roaring action sequences, incredible sci-fi world-building, and memorable characters (including a Martin Scorsese cameo as an Ardennian shopkeeper).

With the film directed by The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau (who co-writes with Dave Filoni and Noah Kloor), it all makes for one of the year’s most exhilarating blockbusters. First up, given that Pascal has been playing The Mandalorian since the series commenced in 2019, what does the character now mean to him?

“It’s the longest creative relationship I’ve had,” he replies. “It’s the longest I’ve got to play a character and collaborate with incredible people. That it should be Star Wars is very fitting, because I grew up watching it. My earliest memories of going to the cinema is seeing Star Wars. It is an embarrassment of gifts, for many reasons.

“Also Favreau – I call him Favreau by the way! – keeps on casting incredible people. So he’s given me the opportunity to be sitting next to one of my icons, Sigourney Weaver.”

Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver

With her character heading up the New Republic’s Adelphi Rangers, did anyone give Weaver a crash course in how to fly an X-wing onscreen?

“If I’d known what that entailed, I’d have maybe tried to have a rehearsal,” she says. “As it was, I had to act that I’d been in this cockpit a million times during the rebellion. It was so exciting. I have been in different space vehicles, but nothing that moved as fast, or was as athletic. To have these wonderful squadron members, it was really a dream come true.

“To sit there, and at the end, be part of the climactic last scene, flying over the audience as it were, was just an unreal dream.”

With Grogu gaining more independence in this film, how does Din’s perspective of him shift? Is he still a child to be protected or has he finally become a true partner?

“He’s a true partner,” says Pascal. “In my opinion, he’s a true partner from the very beginning. I think there’s a very parental instinct that’s awakened in Din when he finds the child. But part of that has to do with his instinct that this creature has more power than he could possibly fathom – power for good that must be guided and protected.

“So now that he’s officially adopted as his son under the Mandalorian creed, they are on these thrill-ride adventures together as partners.”

“I have to say – even though no one asked me! – I find one of the most touching things is that you’re also orphans who found each other,” adds Weaver. “So as well as father and son, there’s also a kind of brotherhood. For me, part of the joy of the film was waiting to see if Grogu could come through exactly what he was capable of. He looks like he’s very good at snacking! What else he can do, I was lucky enough to find out watching.”

Indeed, Weaver was very intent on sharing a scene with Grogu.

“Well I hate to think of being in this movie without having a scene with him,” she reflects. “Fine not having it with Pedro – but to not have one with Grogu! I really hit the jackpot. I did drop a heavy hint. I’m not sure I had the power to insist, but I did anyway! I said, ‘Please, I’d like to have something to do with him.’ It could have been just a nanosecond. Instead, I got the whole scene.

“I have to say, there are five puppeteers, who are geniuses and I didn’t know where they were – I didn’t see anyone. They were all under the table, making this little guy live. So I just saw his ears moving and everything, and as far as I’m concerned, Grogu is real.”

What kind of adjustments did Pascal have to make, going from a series to a film?

“Thankfully, we are in the hands of a director, Jon Favreau, who’s drawing from all of his love of George Lucas’ original Star Wars,” he says. “Then there’s Dave Filoni’s brilliant, infinitesimal knowledge of the world. Jon Favreau’s a really great filmmaker. He’s also an actor, so he knows how to deal with us (laughs). It felt larger scale, for sure, which was no surprise.

“We were utterly cradled by the skill of an entire village of people, who are the best in the business. They’re incredible collaborators, inventors and world-builders. To put it literally, as far as my experience is concerned, you just dive right in.”

How much does the physical environment – like costumes and sets – influence your performance in a world like this?

“Well, I was thrilled to be on a set where there was an actual, life-size razor-crest, that I was giving Din Djarin,” says Weaver. “I mean, it was real and I just assumed it would be CGI, but we got to walk around it. So I think that Jon, being an actor as well, knows very well it’s a great help to have the world be as real as possible. As I said, I got to work in the café-bar. I loved my costume right away. And then I got to put on the classic orange jumpsuit.”

Were you conscious of the walk you have to have in that suit?

“Do I need to redo it?” chuckles Weaver. “I was immediately surrounded by these tiny robots, who I think are also puppets, but I’m not sure. They really made me feel at home – they absolutely made me feel more confident, because they’re doing all their noises. I got to wander around with them, and get used to the suit, and carry the helmet. Now, of course, at the premiere, I’ll have to watch how I walk.

What characters would you both liked to have played in the original trilogy?

“I wouldn’t dare touch any of those guys, because they’re already so brilliant,” says Pascal. “You can’t mess with that. But I just remember in the first Star Wars, A New Hope, I’d like to be the guy who gets choked out by Darth Vader. It’s the very first time you see the Force get used – I’d like to do that. I’d like to die! You gotta practice.”

“I’m afraid I can’t remember anyone but the main characters,” adds Weaver. “I could have been Mrs. Darth Vader, who stays at home, and also speaks like James Earl Jones!”

In The Mandalorian And Grogu, there’s also some incredible puppeteering on the Anzellans, the diminutive species noted for their tech expertise.

“This is the first time I realised they were puppets – I just thought they were played by very small people,” says Weaver, causing Pascal to crack up. “I’ve never met one, I don’t know how small they are – maybe the forest is big! The puppets are really well done.”

“Those are great Star Wars creatures,” adds Pascal, regaining his composure. “Jim Henson homages, funny voices – who does the voices, that’s what I’d like to know. Sigourney Weaver does the voice!”

How did Pascal find playing Din Djarin in pure survival mode?

“I feel like Din Djarin is always in deep survival mode,” he considers. “He seems to always be on a mission of some kind that turns into an incredible, exciting and sometimes utterly dangerous adventure. In this case, he’s in deep water, shall we say, with some of the better known iconic villains of the Star Wars world. Again, it’s an embarrassment of riches to play with. It’s not like, ‘How do I imagine this?’

“Because Jon provides all the visuals, and it’s the best stunt people in the business. And I like the water, so it was just a good time.”

What does Weaver think continues to draw audiences to stories set in space?

“Well, personally, I feel it’s because they take place in the future,” she says. “We’re not there yet, so we’re still hopeful about it. In Star Wars particularly, everyone – no matter how many heads or tails they might have – they’re able to get along and have drinks together in the bar. I think it’s a very hopeful, optimistic view of our future. And I very much hope we get to that point.

“We have some evil empires to deal with here on Earth before we can all work together, and send spacecrafts manned and woman-ed by everybody into space to find out if there really are other beings out there. I’m pretty sure there are, so I’ve always been fascinated by the stars.”

Were there any particularly memorable pieces of direction you received, where you thought, ‘Only on a Star Wars production will you hear those words…’?

“Having been an actor, and being so experienced and very good at casting, if Jon Favreau gives you notes, it’s just a technical help,” says Weaver. “Otherwise, he’s just sending you confidence and faith that you’re gonna come through."

Finally, for Pascal, during his time as part of the Star Wars world, has he had any especially memorable fan interactions?

“What jumps out at me the most is when people dress up in these incredible costumes,” he notes. “You get reminded of all the world building that is Star Wars, and all of the different cultures – as I see it – in Star Wars storytelling. That’s the biggest thing, cos you see the good guys, the bad guys and everything in between with the fans.

“And you see a love of storytelling that is so materialised in front of you by the people enjoying these stories. I just really dug the fact that it got to a point where, whether I was getting coffee or asking where the bathroom was, it always turned into, ‘This is the way.’ And I really liked that.”

• The Mandalorian And Grogu is in cinemas now.