The Mandalorian made a huge change for its third season and maybe you didn’t even realise it. It happens during the credits where all the familiar, famous names are given prominent placement over the super cool concept art. Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, yup we know them. Emily Swallow and Carl Weathers, sure. Then two names who aren’t as familiar: Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder.
Wayne and Crowder are not household names to many fans but they’re as important to the show as everyone else on the list. They’re two of the stunt performers who double as the Mandalorian on the show. Is Pedro Pascal in the armour sometimes? Of course. Is it always Pascal’s voice? Yes. But for most of the stunts, fighting, and even lots of the more general on-set things, it’s Wayne or Crowder under the helmet.
Why is it a big deal to see those names with prominent placement in the credits this season? Well, a picture is worth a thousand words. Here’s this year’s credit. Big, bold, no qualifier, right along with the other key actors.
And here’s the credit from the season two finale. You might need a microscope.
That old credit — which is in the same place as it has been since the season one premiere — comes not only after the main cast and main production people, but also the secondary cast. And these performers play the titular character. So to say it’s an upgrade and improvement is almost an understatement. It’s a huge, huge bump up the chain — and having seen the second episode of the season, we can confirm the credit is in that episode too, once again at the end of the co-starring section over a piece of concept art.
io9 has reached out to Lucasfilm for possible comment on the reason for the change but we can sort of figure it out ourselves. Wayne and Crowder (as well as Barry Lowin in that finale episode) are on screen just as much, if not more, than the other actors on the show. Just because we don’t see their faces doesn’t mean they aren’t crucial actors as well as stunt performers, and now the show has finally acknowledged that.
Season three of The Mandalorian continues on Disney+ this Wednesday, and every upcoming Wednesday, for the next two months.
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