Despite the fact that Baby Yoda is a cultural icon who will be famous forever, it turns out that there were some more important people on the set of The Mandalorian, like the guys who played Mando himself. As it turns out, there were a few of them.
While Pedro Pascal gets most of the credit for being the titular character, there are two other stuntmen who get to wear his iconic metal armor, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. Pascal has previously referred to Wayne and Crowder as the show’s “other two daddies” which is heartwarming if you don’t think about it too hard.
Pascal recently opened up to Entertainment Weekly about the trio’s bond, and how he couldn’t have played the role without them — literally. “It’s been a collaborative process from the beginning,” Pascal explained. “I was given the opportunity to establish physical specificity in some ways at the start of the show, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t observing and picking up from what they’re doing and handing over so much of it as well. They do the heavy lifting.”
The actor praised Crowder, who he had worked with before on several occasions for “[defying] gravity. He is one of the most expertly athletic human beings. When I knew he was going to be putting on the suit for this, I was like, ‘Yes! I’m gonna look so cool!’” And he really did look so cool while walking around with his cute little green alien baby!
While the newest season of The Mandalorian won’t be out for some time, Pascal says that the story of Grogu and Din is in good hands. “I think it was so easy to trust how much Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni love Star Wars and [how they’re] taking that love and developing new ways of telling Star Wars stories,” Pascal told the mag. “That’s a big safety net. But there were things, like, will this character be compelling? Will people want to follow him through these adventures? Will the richness of this parent-child relationship really reach everyone? So to see all of that surpass expectation is really exciting.” As long as we get more Baby Yoda memes, the fans will be happy.
The Mandalorian is currently streaming on Disney+.