When The Mandalorian aired last November with the debut of Disney+, it became an instant hit and introduced Star Wars fans to new corners of that galaxy far, far away and a cast of new characters, including the pop culture sensation known as "Baby Yoda". With Season 2 scheduled for an October release and Season 3 in development, along with The Mandalorian Disney+ docuseries set to air on May 4th, fans are now learning more about the behind-the-scenes of this hit series and what it took to bring its stories and characters to life.
NEWS
In an article by Yahoo Movies UK, Pedro Pascal, who plays The Mandalorian, shared his thoughts and expectations regarding his popular co-star.
We have to talk about Baby Yoda. Did you guys know when you were making it that he would become what he has become in terms of his online popularity as a character?
I did. I can’t bring myself to lie and be like “we had no idea of the sensation that he would be”. We never talked about it being a sure thing, but I unconsciously kept to myself that the very first time I saw the image in the illustration during that first meeting, I was like “oh my God, people are going to lose their mind over that”. So basically it was no surprise.
Pascal also discussed what it was like to work with Baby Yoda, who was not a CG character but a physical doll.
What was it like working with that character on the set?
It was incredible just to see how talented the departments are. It was just unbelievable, from the production design to the company, Legacy Effects, that created the doll and so many of the props and creatures. There’s all the history they bring to it from the other films and from their experiences on other films. You’re among the best and so you just really have to make yourself a passenger to that.
To see them care for the doll and also find different ways for it to express itself and become an incredible scene partner is incredibly fascinating. It’s a pretty adorable thing.
WHAT THIS MEANS
Creature design and performance has always been a huge part of Star Wars dating back to the Cantina Scene in A New Hope and the Yoda puppet in The Empire Strikes Back. While The Mandalorian feels fresh and new, it's also reminscient of the original trilogy and Baby Yoda as a physical doll is an excellent example of that. Learning more about how Baby Yoda was brought to life and how the live cast interacted with him is the kind of insight fans will hopefully get more of - both in the later seasons of the series as well as in the upcoming Disney+ docuseries.
