'The Mandalorian' star Emily Swallow says she wants to see more of the Armourer as it makes her feel 'cooler'
Actor Emily Swallow has been playing a lot of badass women on screen, from Natalie Pierce on 'SEAL Team' to Amara on 'Supernatural.' Her role as 'The Armourer' on 'The Mandalorian,' however, is possibly her most badass role to date.
In an exclusive interview with MEA WorldWide (MEAWW), the actor sits down to talk with Alana Jordan about what it took to bring the Armourer to life, what Baby Yoda is like in person, and how it feels to be a part of the vast 'Star Wars' legacy.
The overwhelming success of 'The Mandalorian' has been quite a surprise. "The whole thing has been such a crazy ride because I shot my stuff over a year ago, and it was so secretive," she said.
"If I had expected this kind of response, that would have been so egotistical, because it's just past anything I could have imagined," she added.
As to whether or not we will be seeing more of the Armourer in Season 2 of 'The Mandalorian', Swallow can't confirm or deny anything — but she does hope to be able to. "I wanna see more of her," she said. "She makes me feel cooler than any other character I've ever played."
Not that portraying the character hasn't been a challenge. While she's worked with masks in theatrical productions before, the Armourer's helmet is a completely different kind of experience.
"I was really glad that the Armourer moved slowly and deliberately. I had no peripheral vision, I had a tinted visor, in my cave that's already dimly lit, and so I was constantly running into things," she said. "The Armourer has some awkward moments when people aren't looking."
One of the joys on set was, of course, interacting with the Baby Yoda puppet, which Swallow was thrilled about. "I didn't get to play with it, but yeah, the first time I saw it — you know that you're looking at a puppet, but that doesn't compute with your brain because it's just so adorable," she said.
"So I was thrilled when they brought him in that little bag in the scene that I got to have with it, I just wanted to snuggle it," Swallow added.
She also talked about the day that George Lucas himself came to visit the sets of 'The Mandalorian' for Jon Favreau's birthday. The man behind Lucasfilm, who started the 'Star Wars' franchise, spent some time on set telling the cast stories from the early days of 'Star Wars.'
"It was incredible to me to imagine what it must be like to be him, and know that he's created this, to see how the stories have evolved," she said.
"One of the things that's so beautiful about that world is that no matter what the technology, no matter whether it's animated or there's puppets, or whatever, the heart of the story is I think what brings everybody back to it over and over and over again."
You can see the entire video below, where she also talks about her characters on 'SEAL Team' and 'Supernatural,' as well as more about what her experience as the Armourer was like, as a longterm 'Star Wars' fan.
All episodes of Season 1 of 'The Mandalorian' are available to stream on Disney+.
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