It's Not Just Pedro Pascal: Here Are The Other Actors Who Play The Mandalorian
With the anxiously awaited third season of "The Mandalorian" coming to Disney+ on March 1, the current crown jewel of the "Star Wars" galaxy is going to quickly become much larger in scale and more epic in tone. The previous two seasons introduced lone bounty hunter Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his adorably cute cargo, Grogu, as they traversed the Outer Rim Territories in search of a Jedi capable of training the Mandalorian's small but powerful young passenger. In "The Book of Boba Fett," which essentially operated as "The Mandalorian" season 2.5, Grogu made the choice to return to Mando's care, setting the stage for a Force user to actually be welcomed into Mandalorian culture.
Previous seasons explored the zealotry of Mando's clan, whose members all follow a strict code known as "The Way" where removing your beskar helmet in front of others is strictly forbidden. After being banned for admitting to the Armorer that he did, in fact, remove his helmet in public, Mando will visit the planet of Mandalore for the first time in season 3, with leader Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) and a phalanx of Mandalorians at his side.
Mando's "Clan of Two" is expanding, and the new season should provide ample opportunities for him to get involved in all kinds of intense battles. To that end, Pedro Pascal's two stunt doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder, will most likely have a lot more to do inside the Mandalorian armor this time around. While Pascal always voices Din Djarin, it's almost always Wayne and Crowder that take the hits and bring that space cowboy swagger to the Mandalorian's persona. To get a better idea of who will be doing what in season 3, let's break down what each performer does on the hit show.
Brendan Wayne, the grandson of a gunslinger
"The Mandalorian" creator Jon Favreau shares some history with actor Brendan Wayne, who worked as a stunt double for the very first time on the set of the hit Disney+ series. Wayne played Charlie Lyle in Favreau's sci-fi Western film "Cowboys & Aliens" way back in 2011. The two apparently stayed in touch, and Wayne was brought on board to lend a gunslinger physicality to Din — one that has since become a signature swagger for Mando when he steps into battle.
If his last name sounds familiar, Wayne is the grandson of John Wayne, the most iconic cowboy in film history. Sharing the same DNA with a legend certainly didn't hurt his chances of being cast in "The Mandalorian," and his experience with handling firearms became a real asset anytime the bullets and laser blasts started firing. For safety and believability, Wayne wears the armor for Pedro Pascal anytime serious gunfighting is needed. In one of the episodes of "Disney Gallery" about the making of "The Mandalorian," Wayne is featured saying, "I get to pull guns. I get to shoot guns. I get to shoot grappling hooks, it's fun!"
Wayne is featured in the first episode where Mando teams up with the assassin droid IG-II (voiced by Taika Waititi) to take out the Nikta guards holding Mando's bounty, known then only as the child. Back when it was still unclear how much Pascal was on location in costume, actor-director Bryce Dallas Howard revealed she mostly worked with Wayne on the episode "Sanctuary" while Pascal was in rehearsals for "King Lear" on Broadway. "He absolutely just brought everything to that character, and we were able to find the moments and figure them out together," she told Vulture in 2019.
Lateef Crowder adds grace and martial arts agiliity
When "Star Wars" isn't busy being a Space Western, it's usually paying homage to its samurai roots with an epic lightsaber battle. When those motifs and visual cues pop up in "The Mandalorian," it's almost a guarantee that Brazilian stuntman Lateef Crowder is involved. In "Disney Gallery: Star Wars: The Mandalorian," Pedro Pascal and Crowder speak about Crowder's particular involvement with the show. "And then we have Lateef Crowder, who is our capoeira, jujitsu warrior who can basically do anything," Pascal explained. Crowder remained humble on the behind-the-scenes series saying, "You know, the secret is to always be ready. I'm always training. Whether it's martial arts, whether it's stunt training, whether it's weight training, just physical fitness."
Having a background in the dance-inspired Brazilian martial art of capoeira gives the Mandalorian an incredible sense of movement and agility when Crowder is featured in the beskar armor. His talents can probably best be seen on the season 2 finale "The Rescue," where Mando encounters Giancarlo Esposito's Moff Gideon while the latter is still in possession of the ancient Mandalorian weapon known as the Darksaber. Crowder trained for a month using a bamboo stick in order to sell the epic fight.
In a rare recognition of the stunt community in Hollywood, Crowder won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Stunt Performance in 2021 for his work on the acclaimed episode. The Darksaber has been mysteriously absent in the latest trailers for season 3, but Din Djarin should be seen with the weapon at some point (although he was far from mastering it in the Mando-centric episodes in "The Book of Boba Fett").
Barry Lowin, the third double
Actor and stunt performer Barry Lowin donned the Mando suit for the first time in season two, taking over for Brendan Wayne after an injury. Although Pedro Pascal was in the suit for the vast majority of season 2, Lowin most likely appeared as his double in nearly every episode. After a frightening appendix rupture and a lengthy hospital stay, Wayne did return for "Chapter 13: The Jedi," where he squared off with Michael Biehn's enforcer Lang (per Wayne's interview with The Tatooine Times).
In "Chapter 15: The Believer," when Mando and his crew commandeer an Imperial Juggernaut to sneak past the Empire to find out the whereabouts of Moff Gideon, Lowin also appears as a Shoretrooper in addition to doubling for Mando. Lowin shows up in "The Book of Boba Fett" as well, playing the Aqualish gangster Garfalaquox, a walrus-like creature that is part of the same species as Ponda Baba from "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope."
Currently, it's unclear if any additional stunt doubles will appear as the titular character in season 3. Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, and Barry Lowin have all been a crucial part in enhancing Mando's physicality and swagger, and their performances also help to bring out the character's inner life.
Trying to pick out who is in the suit at any given time can be challenging, but there are a few tells. Pascal looks to have the broadest shoulders and tends to take on a signature stance by leaning on one hip. He also talks with his hands a lot. If the voice seems a little muffled in certain scenes, that might be a clue that Pascal is behind the mask and the audio isn't overdubbed.
Pedro Pascal is still the face of The Mandalorian
The guessing games of whether or not Pedro Pascal is under the helmet or not shouldn't be too much of a distraction when season 3 debuts. Whether he's on set or just providing voice-over for most of the season, Pascal is still the emotional heart of the character. Pascal has largely been called away from "Star Wars" due to his starring role as Joel in "The Last of Us" on HBO, and it's unclear just how often he was able to physically be on set, if at all.
Now that Din Djarin is officially an apostate after breaking the strict Mandalorian Creed, he vowed to the Armorer in "The Book of Boba Fett" that he will redeem himself by traveling to Mandalore for a special mission. There's a small chance that some situation that throws Grogu into peril may force Din to remove his helmet once more, but for now, it appears that Pascal won't be showing his face for the majority of season 3. Perhaps Bo-Katan and the other Mandalorians will be able to convince Mando to view their philosophy in a new light, causing him to see another "Way" to follow.
If neither of those options come to fruition, the new season will be leaning heavily on the talents and physicality of both Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder to carry the weight. Pascal's voice acting will still lend plenty of drama and humanity to Mando, but seeing Din Djarin evolve and show his face a little more could do wonders for the emotional connection he has with his newfound adopted son, Grogu, and the other Mandalorians that need Mando for their cause.
Cheer on all of these fiercely dedicated stunt performers when "The Mandalorian" season 3 premieres March 1, 2023.