Making Of The MANDALORIAN AND GROGU - Behind The Scenes Talk With Pedro Pascal & Sigourney Weaver

Are you scared? You should be. Good job, baby. This is the way. Thank you so much. Good day. Great to have you all here. May the 4th. What better day to have the press conference for another amazing Star Wars adventure. And it's fantastic to have you all ready to ask questions during our press conference for The Mandalorian Grogu. And I hope the excitement is big enough so that you can greet our guests from overseas with a big round of applause and cheers. Let's get started with the writer, producer and director of The Mandalorian Grogu. Here's Jon Favreau. Let's continue with the living legend Sigourney Weaver. And another legend, The Mandalorian, Pedro Pascal. Jon Sigourney and Pedro, welcome to Berlin. This is a surprise gift hand crocheted by one of the marketing ladies from the team who's promoting The Mandalorian Grogu. Her name is Anke and she hand crocheted these amazing Grogu's for you to cuddle. And there's a lot of letters in the words Sigourney. I was going to see if she put Sig or Sigourney, but she did the whole name. Sigourney, the microphone would be fantastic if you could hold on to that. I'm sorry. This is my first press conference. We do believe you. It's hard to handle a doll and a microphone. I'm sorry. I'm confused as well. You can put it on your lap or next to you. I mean, he's not going to go away. Jon and Sigourney and Pedro, it's so great to have you here. And it's such an amazing movie. And this movie, The Mandalorian Grogu, might be the first entry point for some people into the Star Wars universe. Do you remember your first Star Wars experience, Jon Sigourney and Pedro? Maybe starting with Jon. I do. I was born in 1966, so I was about 10 or 11 when the first one came out. And I remember going with my dad in New York. And I still remember when that giant spaceship was going off. First the blockade runner goes by, and then the destroyer kept going, kept going. And I remember the theater. First it was sort of a gasp. Then it was laughter, then it was cheering. And it didn't stop. And it made a big impression on me. And George Lucas, being the cinephile that he is, layered in so many references that I didn't even understand at the time. That it opened me up to not just Star Wars, but to cinema in general. And it led to my learning about Kurosawa, Westerns, the Flash Gordon pulp cinema. And of course, even later in life, Joseph Campbell. Which the mythology of Joseph Campbell, he layered in, in the storytelling. So at first I loved the spectacle. But then, as I grew older, I loved the storytelling and the humanity. Sigourney. I better see it again. I miss the Joseph Campbell. I saw it at the Ziegfeld in New York City when it came out in 1977. Along with thousands of other people. And we hadn't seen anything like this ever. It really took you to another galaxy, another universe. And I was very, I thought it had heart. I thought it had humor. And what I loved about it was that there were so many different species. And for the most part, they were all getting along. That was never the issue. There was the evil empire. But otherwise, no matter what you looked like, you had a home in Star Wars. And I loved that about it. Pedro. I was born in 75. So my entire childhood is shaped by the first Star Wars movies. The first one came out in 77. Was there a re-release? You would know. I saw it in the movie theater. I think they did. It was long before home video, you know. So I'm sure they kept releasing it. I don't know. Maybe there are Star Wars fans out here who know better than I do. In my memory, in the way that I shape it, I saw the first one before Empire Strikes Back. Empire Strikes Back, I remember perfectly. Return of the Jedi, my personal favorite. I'm sorry. It's an age thing. I cannot help that memory of finally getting tickets to Return of the Jedi. We tried like three or four times and it was sold out. My sister had already seen it and I hadn't. And it was hell for me. And then I finally got the tickets. And it was just one of the greatest movie adventures I experienced on the big screen as it felt with the other movies as well. And does that answer the question? It does, definitely. I mean, we can tell that you all are in love and awe with the universe and with the storylines and with the characters. And John and Pedro, you had some time now to basically fall in love with Grogu. But Sigourney, this was your first experience with this little amazing creature. What was it like to meet him for the first time? What did you think? What did you feel? Well, I was trying to hide from John that in spite of my character and her priorities, it was love at first sight. I wasn't meeting someone with five puppeteers. I was absolutely meeting this little Yoda creature who was so full of life, so full of mischief. And I loved the scene because honestly, I'm looking at the two of them going, how is this honestly going to work? Am I doing the right thing sending these guys out for this? So I had just such a Grogu immersion. And yes, I caught up with these guys. John, having created this movie and this character, what was it like for you to see how Sigourney reacted to Grogu on set? Well, what was great about working with Sigourney is that I was a fan of hers and grew up loving all the sci-fi films that she created and the characters that she created. And when you have two hours to tell a story, to have an actor walk on the set and bring their full reputation to the audience and inherit everything that came before, the strength of that character was very important. Of course, Sigourney was like, one stipulation is I have to work with Grogu. I'm not even exaggerating. It was like, I really liked the part. Is there a way for me to work with Grogu a little bit? And so we rewrote the scenes, but she has to be really tough with him. But every time the cameras are off, and I don't know if people know this, but the puppet is being operated by, as Sigourney said, several puppeteers. And they're off screen with remote controls. And so between takes, they just keep the puppet going. And so she would, between takes, like two old friends, she'd drop the hard exterior and lean in and start talking to the puppet. And the puppet would coo and cock his head. And so she had to get ready for each next take to then be tough with him. And so we worked those few different moments in with you. And I think it still works for the character. And they're good little moments, because they're in all the trailers now. So it must have worked out well. No, that was such a treat. To work with, having been in lots of movies that had special effects, I usually had something real. But to work with a fellow actor who was this little grogu and so real, and that the puppeteers kept that going for me, I'm so grateful. And the hardest acting part was, as John said, dropping that to play my commanding character. Pedro, you've mentioned earlier that Sigourney has been a huge inspiration to you. In what way did her presence on set influence the tone and the vibe during the Mandalorian? Grogu, what was it like for you? Well, I can't talk about it. She's sitting right there. Pretend she's not there. I wouldn't know where to start when it comes to... I saw all of her movies growing up. I had a fascination with her as an actor. Her influence on me, I think, would scare you, to be honest with you. I saw all of your movies. And so I had to get past being completely, completely starstruck. I wasn't surprised at all because John is so incredible in his casting. He's so smart every step of the way from day one of the Mandalorian's existence. He's found a way to hit a home run with every role. He got Sigourney Weaver and also has provided me with the experience of sharing a project with her. I can't really describe it in any kind of professional way. It's too special. And I know I go around saying this ---- so much. Like, ah, it's so special. My dream come true. I saw Gorillas in the Mist in the movie theater an embarrassing amount of times. And I admire you in every way, as a person, as an artist, in every possible way. So, again, I have lost my way in my answer for whatever your question was. But it matched, basically, what I was expecting you to say. Thank you, Pietro. You're welcome. Thank you, Pietro. We'll talk later. John, last question before we get questions from our journalists. Pietro just mentioned your amazing casting. I mean, there are a couple of other great voice talents that you wouldn't expect in this movie, without spoiling too much. But Jeremy Ellen White is in there. Martin Scorsese is in there. How did you convince them? Well, in the case of Jeremy Ellen White, both of us have played chefs on screen. So we had an immediate bond. And I met him at an event where I just walked up to him. And part of the fun of what we do for a living is, even if you don't know somebody, they know your work, you know their work, and you become very fast friends. And I walked up to him, and we started talking about playing chefs. He had no idea that I was working on this movie. And then, as we were thinking about different voices, you talk to your casting director, Sarah Finn, in this case, and you start coming up with lists of who do we think might be right for these roles. They do a breakdown, a casting breakdown. And he was not an obvious choice for the character, if you've seen what the character looks like. But Star Wars has always been about humanity. And George Lucas, as strange as the characters were, as Sigourney describes, and as imaginative as it all is, it still needs to be grounded in emotion and humanity and human relationships. And his performance, even from when he was younger and shameless, has been wonderful. I love him on the bear. And I reached out and said, would you be interested in coming in and doing a character, a voice? And to be honest with you, as he worked on it, the role did grow, because he did such a great job. And I don't want to say too much about the character, but he really did a fantastic job with it. Marty Scorsese, I'm a bit starstruck. I've worked for him. I've grown up watching his movies. He's definitely impacted and influenced me. If you've seen my work, you know. So he was at the top of the wish list. I didn't know if he'd want to do it. I mentioned it to Kathy Kennedy, who's a producer on this. And she said, I'll give Marty a call. Let's see. And I said, all right, call Marty. Go ahead. And next time I saw her, I said, do you ever hear back from him? She says, oh yeah, he'll do it. That was it. He'll do it. So my heart jumped a bit. And we had our recording session. And he could not have been more fun, cooperative, playful, laughing, asking me for suggestions. It was a bit surreal. A bit of a blur, a bit of a hazy memory. We had video of it. And of course, all the character designers and the animators felt as excited as I was. And built his character and his performance around what he did. So although it wasn't motion captured, it was definitely key frame based on it. It's some of the most beautiful animation work in the film. And such a clever little interpretation of this species with four arms in a food truck. Food truck also being close to my heart. And I named the character Hugo Durant. So that he might be a relative of Rio Durant, who I played in Solo. Thank you for sharing these stories. And now questions from our guests. Raise your hand. State your name and outlet. Right here, the gentleman in row number five with the red-orange t-shirt. There you go. Hello, I'm Philipp from Movistar. Question to the director, Mr. Favreau. You had to translate your own TV show back for the big cinema screen. You are the director, you are the writer, you are producer in real life. You are also actor. So what does cinema generally mean to you? Film. I think cinema is something that I've fallen in love with. Something that I'm very grateful to have been able to experience as a fan. Then as an usher in the movie theater during Return of the Jedi. And then doing extra work, being a background performer. Character actor, doing live comedy shows in Chicago. And eventually working my way up to the set. And learning my film school was the set. And I would ask a million questions. And so, for me personally, I love movies. I love what they've meant to me and my friends, my family. Me introducing my children to films. Because you can't experience a film you love for the first time again. But you can bring somebody to a movie theater. And I don't know what it's like here, but I'm happy to report that those old second run films, classic film houses are packed with young people back home. And now movies, there was a bit of an existential question of are they going to be relevant after everything shut down? And these past few years it was slower. Thankfully, knock wood, this year there are a lot of very successful films in theaters. And it feels like it's as relevant as ever. Because there's a lot of competition for attention. But I think the communal experience of people coming together and experiencing something. People that you don't know, laughing, cheering, together. Whether it's for film, music, sports. This is what brings us together. We're so isolated through technology right now, through algorithms. It's very easy to get caught up on your own and forget how much we share. Selfishly, to be in a movie theater after working on the show and experiencing it, albeit online reactions or going to a premiere of the show. But always Pedro and I were like, it's so much fun. I wish we could do this somehow. Somehow figure out a way to show some episodes in the theater and to get tapped on the shoulder, get the opportunity to do this. It's huge. And a culmination of everything I've talked about in my life. I think there's a responsibility. We have to make it fun for not just Star Wars fans. We've got to be there first and foremost for the people who've been there from the beginning. But I'd like a Star Wars fan to be able to bring somebody who's never seen Star Wars and have a good time. And we were dropped in the middle of a story by George Lucas in episode four. He was inspired by the serialized Saturday matinee movies. And he even talked about it in interviews. He said, I want to drop you in the middle of a story. He says, when I was young, you wouldn't see the whole story. You've got to make it understandable and enjoyable. For the fans, we put the details in. They're very perceptive. All the little hints we give, they pick up on. And it speaks to the larger throw of the story. But first and foremost, it has to be a communal fun experience for everybody to be able to cheer for and enjoy together. And this day, we're starting to show parts of the film and leading up to the release at the end of the month. And I'm very excited about the whole thing. The lady in the second row. Should I stand up? No, you can see me. Hi, I'm Andrea. And I want to know the relationship between Grogu and The Mandalorian has touched millions of people. Why do you think that is? I think it's a very relatable parent and child relationship. One that begins reluctantly. And I don't know. I think there's something so compelling about such an intimidating character and silhouette. This person who is quite literally shielded between himself and the world, head to toe in Beskar armor and weapons. And his sole function is battle. And then there's this vulnerable creature that sort of immediately, I guess, reminds him that there's a human being underneath all of that armor. And that develops more and more as we get to know the characters. I mean, there isn't anything more complex than a parent and child relationship. And that dynamic and how it evolves and how it deepens, how much conflict can exist. And how the dynamic can shift. And where the need can come from. And so it's just a beautiful arc to see characters go on. And it's just a brilliant visual representation of that relationship as well. Because you've got this guy. This badass. And then this absolutely disarming, as I said before, vulnerable creature. Although all the real power lies in the force. So yeah, again, there is that very human thing to relate to. Number one. And then all of the surprises that come with it because we're in the world of Star Wars under the vision of Jon Favreau. Sigourney, with everything that we've already heard. I'm right here. Sorry. Sorry, Sigourney. With your experience and your body of work, what was it like to be stepping on these amazing sound stages? I mean, with all the movie sets that you've been on, working with the puppeteers, seeing the creatures and the characters that have been created, seeing Pedro in full armor. How would you sum up that experience of being on that set? Well, the whole thing was so exciting to suddenly find myself Zooming with Jon and Dave Filoni about this story. I was so touched by the story. And then to be able to actually participate in it in a real Star Wars bar. That was my first set where I got a drink from someone with little things for ears. And that was such a cool way to begin. Although I think we had to cut that. But anyway, it wasn't cut for me. And just being on the set and seeing all these people in this world, I couldn't... I mean, really, this is a magical industry and I have a magical job. For me to suddenly find myself in a galaxy far, far away was so meaningful to me. And to work with this man and with this fellow was just, frankly, a dream come true and not even a dream that seemed real enough for me to go after it. It just was one of these great things that happened in our industry. I was very lucky. We only have time for two more questions. The gentleman in the back with a hat and then moving on to the left-hand side. There's too many. Mr. Perrault, Mr. Pascal, I liked, first of the movie, I liked the beginning with this film noir atmosphere with this hard-boiled detective story. Did you think a bit of Humphrey Bogart and the 40s doing it? You think Humphrey Bogart could move that fast? If only. Oh, if only. I'm a sucker for noir. But one of my favorite things about the movie is what I experience through what John has made is his love of movies. There are so many instances where I'm just like, oh, my God, that's Blade Runner. Oh, my God, that's Apocalypse Now. Oh, my God. All of these iconic, iconic authorships of cinema that John has absorbed and found a way to just weave into this action-adventure experience. I didn't pick up on Humphrey Bogart, but that you did does not surprise me because it's all the best of the best is honored in the coolest way. And it's what I love most about the movie is how much you love movies. Last question from the gentleman in the first row all the way to our left, right here. The roundhouse kick in the movie was it all you, or did you get help by the stunt team? I've been on very stunt-heavy shows all around. I don't know how it happened. I guess it started with Game of Thrones, but I was not young when I got that part. And things have been so physical ever since that I don't know how much I have left in me, to be honest with you, because I didn't start young. You know the theater. This is very physical as well. I did very well back then, just no one saw it. And this stunt team, Lateef Crowder, Brendan Wayne, it is a Trinity performance and authorship of this character and one of the most interesting collaborations that I've ever been a part of. And beyond that, the kind of stunts and action set pieces, sequences, fight sequences, J.J. and everybody, it is just unbelievable. Even when it comes to finding what is computer-generated animation characters that are still being physically authored in a way that the stunts have everything to do with. And it's just the most impressive stunt people I've ever been around. John Sigourney and Pedro, thank you so much. It's an amazing movie. Thank you. Thank you very much for coming to Berlin. Thank you very much for your questions. The Mandalorian Grogu opens in theaters on May the 20th. Have a fantastic day. May the force be with you. Thank you. We've all heard stories of the Mandalorian bounty hunter and a child. I only hunt Imperial war criminals. I'll take out every bad guy in your deck of cards. This isn't about revenge. It's about preventing another war. Before going into harm's way, check your armor first. We're protecting everything the Rebellion fought for. Good luck. You're gonna need it. Strap in. We need a professional. Hang on. What happens when you're not there to protect him? You good? I'll be right behind you. Go. Go! Mandalorian. You will suffer. The Eastern. Monsters. The old protect the young. And then the young protect the old. It's time. Are you scared? You should be. Good job, baby. This is the way.