The Mandalorian season 3 is set to premiere on March 1 and will see the return of our favorite father-son duo, Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and Grogu. Anticipation is high as the final season 3 trailer received a staggering 83.5 million views. The show has become one of Disney+’s biggest original hits as it follows the tale of Mandalorian bounty hunter Djarin who strikes up an unexpected bond with one of his targets, Grogu, a Force-sensitive green alien with a child-like appearance. As a result, Djarin deviates from his mission and sets off on a journey through the galaxies to protect Grogu while navigating the New Republic and his Mandalorian culture.
The Mandalorian has greatly aided in making Pascal one of the most recognizable and beloved stars in Hollywood. In the time since the series began, he has gone on to star in Wonder Woman 1984, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, and The Last of Us. His roles in The Mandalorian and The Last of Us in particular have received intense attention and led to him becoming Hollywood’s new favorite dad (and daddy).
While Pascal provides the voice of Djarin, some may be suspicious of whether it is actually him underneath all that Mandalorian Beskar armor in the show. After all, the Mandalorian clan has strict rules dictating they must never remove their helmet or show their face to anyone. As such, Djarin has only removed his helmet four times across seasons 1 and 2, and his full face was only visible twice. Therefore, it would be pretty easy for a different actor to be inside the suit other than Pascal during most of the show’s scenes.
Is Pedro Pascal always in the Mandalorian suit?
The truth is, Pascal is sometimes the actor in the Mandalorian suit, but not all the time. The body actor for the Mandalorian is actually split between three actors: Pascal and his two body doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder dos Santos. How often Pascal actually appears in the Mandalorian suit isn’t known, but he has not tried to hide the fact that Wayne and Crowder play a big role in portraying the character, too.
Crowder is a Brazilian actor, stuntman, and martial artist, while Wayne is an actor and producer, as well as the grandson of John Wayne. These actors often cover for Pascal in stunts or when the actor has other obligations. In fact, there have been times when full episodes may not have featured Pascal under the armor at all. Bryce Dallas Howard revealed that when she directed an episode of The Mandalorian, she actually didn’t work with Pascal at all because he was away rehearsing for King Lear on Broadway.
During season 1, Wayne worked on every single episode as Pascal’s body double. However, Pascal did mention that he spent more time in the suit in season 2, so his appearance in the suit largely depends on the time of filming and if it interferes with other projects.
Meanwhile, Pascal has nothing but praise for his body doubles. While he did “establish physical specificity” of the Mandalorian in some ways earlier on, he’s also said that he learns from his body doubles. Wayne confirmed that Pascal would always ask questions about why he or Crowder moved in a certain way in one scene to ensure their portrayal of Djarin was a collaborative effort.
However, while Pascal isn’t always in the suit, he does voice every line of Djarin’s dialogue in the show. Additionally, while watching the show, it’s nearly impossible to tell when it is Pascal, Crowder, or Wayne in the suit. That is a testament to the incredible work of Crowder and Wayne and the very impactful roles body doubles play behind the scenes.
(featured image: Disney+)
