The Mandalorian season 3 ended on a very high note, promising a more exciting journey ahead. The season concluded with Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Grogu preparing for training, Katee Sackoff (Bo-Katan) is selected by her fellow Mandalorians to lead, and Giancarlo Esposito (Moff Gideon) receives a death fitting for the First Order tyrant.
In a conversation with Carl Weathers (Greef Karga), the veteran actor shares why he loves the Star Wars culture and “The Mandalorian.”
The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney +.
When you stepped into the world of “The Mandalorian,” did you ever think your first scene on set would become iconic and trending everywhere?
That would be so presumptuous, and it would mess up the whole thing because that would mean I’d have to do some projecting there, and I’d have to try to live up to something that doesn’t exist. That could be the kind of pressure that could screw up the performance?
The idea is to present that character as if that is happening in reality. So if I start putting this expectation on that performance, then I’m not only projecting, but I’m not really in the performance as an actor. It’s a really challenging thing, and maybe for those of us who want to reach some pinnacle, we may go at it that way, but I think that’s probably detrimental to the performance and the character. When you’re just trying to present a performance that matches what you think is on the page and hopefully surpasses it by having nuance and a character that [causes the viewer] to say, “Oh yeah, I can relate to that.”
How do you feel about the fans and how they relate to your character Greef Karga?
When Grief Cargo opens his mouth and delivers what he delivers, behaves the way he does, and has a particular look in his eyes, you go beyond what you may have thought. And that’s the intention there for me, you know, to give you a character that you are never quite sure where he will come from or which direction and which way he will go.
You may start with a guy who is a mercenary who is just trying to make a buck. On the other hand, he is your friend, your confidant, and in love with this little character Grogu. Greef Karga is much more than many people may have expected. And to be honest with you, I think he’s a little more than I expected.
