See: The Mandalorian Feels Familiar, but the Star Wars Show Is Pulling a Jedi Mind Trick
“I really didn’t know what they were planning. Maybe it’s some sort of strategy of mine to lower my expectations as much as possible and not get excited, and presume that they want me to voice one episode, being a droid or something like that. I did not have any idea that they wanted me to step into the shoes of this iconic silhouette that seemed to exist visually from the beginning of the first wall to the second wall, to the third wall, to the fourth wall.
“In one corner, there appeared the illustration of what clearly looked like a baby version of Yoda, and my eye went immediately to it. I didn’t understand whether it was the actual character or not, because I wasn’t quick enough to do the math—the Star Wars math.
“I just saw the creature, and my heart melted, and I understood. I was like, ‘You guys know people are going to lose their minds when they see that?’
“I got in my car, and I followed Jon to Manhattan Beach studios from the offices where we initially met. I think I may have called my agent. And I’m like, ‘I think they want me to play Boba Fett!’
“They didn’t say, ‘This is not Boba Fett.’ But I didn’t ask. Again, it’s this weird thing that belongs to me, where I don’t want too much information if I’m not ready to process it. I was not ready for a yes or a no on the things that were running through my mind.
“When we drove over to the Manhattan Beach studios, they had the helmet out, and they put it on me—it fit quite snug—and they were showing me The Volume. Kathleen Kennedy was there. I mean, I was born in 1975. Her movies literally shaped my life and are part of my conditioning.
“This all unfolded within a couple of hours. The experience of being a part of it… I was pretty shocked.
“I think that they thought that I knew—but I didn’t know—so I asked them finally: ‘What do you guys want me to do? What do you guys want me to play?’ And they seemed confused. They said, ‘You’re the Mandalorian.’
“And I was like, ‘Holy shit. … Really?’
“Once again, I think that when I’m offered such a beautiful chance to make a contribution to such a bigger picture, I don’t ask a lot of questions, you know? I said, yes.
“After being in that room and talking with Jon and Dave, and meeting Kathleen and seeing The Volume and everything like that, I knew that it was an ace in the hole. I just knew. And I haven’t been surprised by any of it. Maybe I’ve been a little surprised by how compelling the Mandalorian can be, because he’s faceless.