At the Hollywood premiere of “The Mandalorian” season 3 a few nights ago, The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Favreau and asked him about casting Pascal as the stoic, helmeted warrior that has since become a new “Star Wars” icon. “We just hired him because we were fans of his work [in] ‘Narcos‘ and ‘Game of Thrones,'” Favreau said. “He’s been at it for a while, and what we really liked about him was that he was a journeyman actor who always did a great part. He really picked great projects to be a part of, he always stood out.”
Pascal’s intense turn as a DEA agent on the hunt for Pablo Escobar in “Narcos” added another great role to his resume that showed he could say a lot with just a glare. Favreau didn’t exactly anticipate the level of fame Pascal would achieve when he came on board to star in “The Mandalorian,” he was just confident they had found someone who could still be captivating under that intimidating beskar armor. “We knew that he could ground and add humanity to a character that was otherwise a mask, somebody that we knew you wouldn’t see his face, and if and when you did that, it had to mean something,” remarked Favreau. “He had to deliver a lot in a few moments.”
Pascal is everywhere lately and is taking full advantage of his budding superstardom. He’s made some heartwarming talk show appearances on “Late Night With Seth Myers” and just knocked it out of the park hosting Saturday Night Live. Fans are getting to know Pascal now as a person and as an actor, and they’re loving what they see. “He’s having a moment,” said Favreau, “and I’m glad that we’re able to be a part of that.”
“The Last of Us” airs every Sunday on HBO and new episodes of “The Mandalorian” premiere each Wednesday on Disney+.