The return of The Mandalorian Season 3 brings a host of challenges for Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal/Brendan Wayne/Lateef Crowder) and his little green son Grogu, including facing off against foes both old and new. One such foe is the scheming Moff Gideon, played by actor Giancarlo Esposito. Ahead of his return to the Disney+ series, Esposito recently sat down with Star Wars Insider to discuss the role, and Collider is excited to exclusively share a sneak peek at their conversation before it hits newsstands on March 14.
In the interview, titled "The Anti-Hero's Journey," Esposito was asked whether he gravitates towards playing "evil" characters. Fans, of course, will remember his turn as Gus Fring on AMC's Breaking Bad, to name one notable example. For his part, however, Esposito says it's not the evil that draws him in, telling writer John Kirk:
“No. I look for a complete script. I look for characters who are inspiring, and who move our imaginations from one place to another. It just so happens that I’ve been asked to play characters in certain projects that have had somewhat of an edge, a darker side, if you will."
As for taking on the role of Imperial officer Moff Gideon, Esposito tells Kirk “It was hard to say no to Jon Favreau when he called to tell me he’d written a role for me!” before going on to add:
“It was a great honor. I knew it would be exciting, whether it had been Star Wars or some other story that spurred my imagination. But the word of Star Wars is one that I’ve admired since I was younger. And I’ve admired since I was younger, and I’ve wanted to see films return to that mythological level of storytelling. That’s something that I think the Star Wars franchise has done so very well.
You know, I’ve loved working on The Mandalorian because it’s about wonder and anticipation. When Jon asked if I had any requests for the character, I said, ‘Yes. I want to have a cape like Darth Vader!’”
Where is Moff Gideon?
The Season 2 finale of The Mandalorian saw Din Djarin confronting Moff Gideon on board his Imperial cruiser in order to rescue Grogu from his clutches. In the Season 3 premiere, Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) tells Din Djarin that Gideon has been turned over to the custody of the New Republic. While the Imperial himself might be in custody still, there's no telling what part of his plans for Grogu have been in motion during his absence. Given how prominently clone engineer Dr. Pershing (Omid Abtahi) we'll hopefully find out more, sooner rather than later.
The first two episodes of The Mandalorian are streaming on Disney+ now. Take a sneak peek at the new issue of Star Wars Insider below:
Read the full interview in Star Wars Insider #217 on sale March 14! Plus, Insider celebrates the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983); an exclusive interview with Industrial Light & Magic’s chief creative officer and senior visual effects supervisor, John Knoll; all-new and exclusive The High Republic fiction from George Mann; and much, much more!ˆ
