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Pedro Pascal brought lifelong ‘Star Wars’ fandom to ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’

Pedro Pascal as The Mandalorian with Grogu in ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.’ (Lucasfilm)

Din Djarin makes his theatrical debut in the new movie Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu.

Pedro Pascal once again stars as the Mandalorian bounty hunter in the film, which arrives in theaters everywhere on Friday. He told ABC News that one of his earliest memories of going to the movie theater as a child was to see Star Wars.

“I was born in ’75, so there was a rerelease of Star Wars before The Empire Strikes Back because I saw it in the movie theater. Obi-Wan Kenobi was decapitated by Darth Vader in my very, very, very early childhood,” Pascal said. “Getting tickets to Return of the Jedi … it’s just a day I’ll never forget.”

Pascal said this John Favreau-directed film is for the Star Wars fans, but it’s also for people who are just now starting their journey with its expansive universe.

“John Favreau has been brilliant about creating an experience that if you love Star Wars there’s so much in there for you to experience in the context of … all of the Star Wars storytelling that we’ve had from the beginning up until now,” Pascal said. “But it’s also that kind of experience that I had when I saw my first Bond movie, of which I hadn’t seen any of the other ones, I didn’t know who James Bond was.”

Even though he went in unaware of the Bond universe, he left the theater “owned by Moonraker as a kid” and “on a ride that I didn’t want to get off.” 

“I love that this can be that for people,” Pascal continued.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Lucasfilm.

Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Andy Austin

Andy Austin here and thank you for clicking! It’s great to be back in Sanford after 25 years. Growing up here, I’ve spent the majority of my working life in radio. Had it not been for Media Technology at the Sanford Vocation Center and the doors that opened soon after, there’s no telling where I would have gone. With Seacoast Oldies, it’s a pleasure to help serve the community through the power and messaging of radio. Aside from broadcasting, I’ve worked extensively with NASCAR in various roles, but my real passion is cycling. Road, gravel, and fat tire cycling make up a lot of the time I spend outdoors. My girlfriend Heather and I have two rescue animals in Brandon the cat and Ollie Walter the Bernedoodle.

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