It comes as no surprise that there is no better actor for the role of Din Djarin from The Mandalorian. However, in the beginning the actor Pedro Pascal (The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Materialists) did not have his sights on being the beskar plated warrior and protector of Grogu.
According to TVLine, Pascal and show creator Jon Favreau (Ahsoka, Skeleton Crew) had a sit down regarding what character Pascal was going to play. Pascal was under the impression that he would be playing Boba Fett, the bounty hunter that proved to be a formidable adversary for Luke Skywalker and his compatriots. The interview went something like this, “So we met in Jon’s office, which was covered with story illustrations from this show — and I noticed the Mandalorian, a Boba Fett-looking character, immediately. I thought to myself, ‘Oh, it’s amazing that they are finally gonna get into this character.'” An in-depth chat about the new project’s direction had Pascal intrigued. ‘Jon talked about the story, visuals, and tone. I thought it was amazing and finally asked, ‘Well, who am I?’ I’m pointing to different characters, creatures, and aliens in the concept art, and Jon just looked at me and said, ‘You’re the Mandalorian.'”
The Character Din Djarin in the show was not just a cold bounty hunter but he also had paternal streak when he came face to face with Grogu. This would help Pascal with his future role in Joel from The Last of Us. Joel was not only a cold and hardened man in the apocalypse but he was also a father before the apocalypse. He would later regain his humanity in the form of Ellie who would be a replacement for the daughter he lost. According to TVLine, Favreau, had a comment regarding Pascal’s casting of Joel, “It’s amazing how much he’s really cornered the market on this dad, protective father archetype. But they’re different characters, though!”
In other news, The Mandalorian and Grogu movie will release in theaters on May 22, 2026. In the meantime audiences can watch the first three seasons of The Mandalorian on Disney+