Pedro Pascal reveals the Mandalorian's name, says his character is an 'iconically cool, flawed, loner gunslinger'
We’ve been given very little information about the Mandalorian, even with an entire episode now out that keeps its focus steadily on its lead. The character does not even so much as take off his helmet. However, we now at least have a name for the character thanks to a TV interview given by Pedro Pascal, who plays the lead on the Disney+ show.
“The Mandalorian, whose name is Dyn Jarren[spelling unconfirmed], is your iconically cool, flawed, mysterious, loner gunslinger that harkens to the best of the samurai movies and westerns,” Pascal said while describing the character. This would confirm that the character beneath the helmet is a completely new one, made for the series, bearing no relation to Jango or Boba Fett, the characters who originally made the Mandalorian-designed armor famous.
Pascal goes on to talk about his portrayal of a character whose facial expressions we never get to see on-screen. “I love the opportunity to make him as human and accessible as possible, which is strange to say,” he says, referring to the fact that the character remains completely covered in armor. “And yet, the idea is that he’s relatable. We’re all kind of covered in our own armor, and terrified of taking that armor off.”
In asking the showrunner Jon Favreau how to approach the character, Pascal was told to watch movies from Sergio Leone and Akira Kurosawa - emphasizing the lone hero aspect of the Mandalorian’s character.
You can watch the full interview here.
While this gives us some insight into the character, there is still a lot to learn about the Mandalorian, and what drives him. Hopefully, it is something we get to see more of as the series progresses - though given how much the show has made work with so little detail, perhaps it is ultimately not all that important to the story being told.
The next episode of 'The Mandalorian' airs November 15 on Disney+