For years, fans have joked that Pedro Pascal is little more than a glorified voice actor in The Mandalorian. Now, with early reviews for The Mandalorian and Grogu hitting the internet ahead of the film’s theatrical debut, that criticism is exploding all over again.
According to a brutal review from The Independent, the film contains “just five minutes of Pedro Pascal” on screen.
The outlet’s Clarisse Loughrey wrote: “With just five minutes of Pedro Pascal and a completely dispirited voice performance from Jeremy Allen White as Jabba the Hutt’s son, this is the dullest and most inconsequential Star Wars ever made.”
Later in the same review, Loughrey doubled down on the criticism, writing: “When Din’s helmet is ripped off so audiences can receive their court-ordered five minutes of Pascal’s famous face,” which is a scene that we first saw in the film’s trailer.
That wording immediately sparked discussion online because it reinforces something Star Wars fans have suspected for years: Pascal may barely be physically present in the role at all.
Has Pedro Pascal Become a Glorified Voice Actor in Star Wars?
While Pascal has always been the face and voice associated with Din Djarin, reports and behind-the-scenes interviews over the years have repeatedly indicated that stunt performers Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder handled much of the physical performance work inside the Mandalorian armor. Pascal himself has frequently been unavailable due to other acting commitments, especially after becoming one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars following HBO’s The Last of Us.
The helmeted nature of the character made that arrangement relatively easy to hide from casual viewers. But if this latest review is accurate, it raises an uncomfortable question for Disney and Lucasfilm heading into what’s supposed to be Star Wars’ triumphant return to theaters.
Ironically, the problem may not be that audiences only see Pedro Pascal’s face for five minutes. The problem may be that Disney believes audiences need to see it at all.
A piece of the Mandalorian and Grogu movie poster – Disney
READ: Jon Favreau Says He Doesn’t Know Why Disney Made ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu’ a Movie
Din Djarin became popular precisely because the character transcended celebrity culture. The helmet was part of the appeal. But now, as Pedro Pascal himself becomes increasingly polarizing due to political commentary, viral press stunts, and nonstop media overexposure, Lucasfilm may be discovering that leaning harder into the actor behind the mask doesn’t necessarily strengthen the brand.
In fact, for some viewers, it may actively hurt it.
The Mandalorian Was Never Supposed to Be About Pedro Pascal
The Mandalorian and Grogu is already tracking for what many analysts believe could become the lowest opening weekend ever for a modern theatrical Star Wars film. Meanwhile, the early critical reaction has been sharply divided, with the movie hovering dangerously close to Rotten territory on Rotten Tomatoes.
Rotten Tomatoes Scores for The Mandalorian and Grogu as of May 19, 2026 at 11:30 a.m. – Rotten Tomatoes
That combination is fueling broader questions about the state of the franchise overall. Disney spent years positioning Din Djarin and Grogu as the future of Star Wars, especially after backlash surrounding the sequel trilogy. But in trying to transform The Mandalorian into a theatrical blockbuster, Lucasfilm may have misunderstood what made the character resonate with audiences in the first place.
Ironically, one of the biggest strengths of The Mandalorian back in 2019 was that Din Djarin didn’t feel like a celebrity vanity vehicle. The helmet was part of the mystique. The character functioned more like a classic western gunslinger or old-school sci-fi archetype than a traditional Hollywood star role.
Pedro Pascal at Star Wars Celebration – YouTube, Star Wars
The audience was not connecting to Pedro Pascal’s face. They were connecting to the atmosphere, the stoicism, the mystery, and the chemistry between the armored bounty hunter and Grogu.
That’s why the “court-ordered five minutes of Pascal’s famous face” line from The Independent review lands so hard. It suggests Disney believes audiences need periodic reminders that a famous actor is underneath the helmet. But after years of viral press stunts, overt political commentary, and nonstop media exposure surrounding Pascal himself, that assumption may no longer be true.
In fact, for some viewers, leaning harder into Pedro Pascal as a celebrity may actively weaken the appeal of Din Djarin.
A screencap from The Mandalorian and Grogu – YouTube, Star Wars
The Mandalorian originally succeeded because it transcended Hollywood celebrity culture. But as Lucasfilm increasingly pushes the actor behind the mask instead of the character itself, critics argue the franchise risks losing the very thing that made it work to begin with.
Disney Needs a Theatrical Event, Not a Streaming Episode
Another damaging part of The Independent review is the repeated suggestion that The Mandalorian and Grogu does not even feel like a real movie. The review claims the project “merely stitches together what is clearly three episodes of the previously planned fourth season of The Mandalorian and calls it a day.”
A screenshot from The Mandalorian and Grogu trailer – YouTube, Star Wars
That accusation lines up with long-running rumors that Lucasfilm pivoted from a fourth Disney+ season into a theatrical release after Disney began aggressively reevaluating the financial performance of its streaming division. Expensive productions like The Acolyte reportedly intensified scrutiny surrounding the cost of big-budget streaming content.
If true, it would explain why some critics feel this movie resembles expanded television episodes more than a true cinematic event.
Star Wars Fans Are Already Questioning the Movie’s Existence
The biggest problem for Lucasfilm may ultimately be that many fans still are not convinced this needed to be a theatrical film in the first place.
Even the review itself repeatedly questions why this project exists as a movie at all. Instead of feeling like a bold new chapter for Star Wars, critics are describing it as stretched-out streaming content repackaged for IMAX screens.
The Mandalorian and Grogu spying on enemies – YouTube, Star Wars
And now, with reports claiming audiences get roughly five minutes of Pedro Pascal physically on screen, the conversation surrounding the movie risks becoming less about Din Djarin and Grogu — and more about Disney’s apparent insistence on selling The Mandalorian as a Pedro Pascal vehicle in the first place.
Do you want to see Pedro Pascal unmasked in The Mandalorian? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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