On the surface, it may not seem like Baby Yoda and Leonardo DiCaprio have much in common. Baby Yoda is the breakout star of Disney+’s live-action Star Wars series, The Mandalorian. DiCaprio is a mega-famous Oscar-winning movie star with a storied career that has included television. Enter Disney CEO Bob Iger, who makes a keen comparison between the two.
Before his blockbuster film career, Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the beloved sitcom, Growing Pains, as Luke Brower. At the time, Disney CEO Bob Iger was running ABC’s primetime TV division. Over 25 years later, Iger was reminded of the feeling he got when DiCaprio arrived on Growing Pains. It happened when he saw footage of Baby Yoda from The Mandalorian for the first time.
Baby Yoda and Leonardo DiCaprio each brought an undeniable lift to their respective shows: The Mandalorian has the scene-stealing Baby Yoda. Growing Pains had DiCaprio. You can undoubtedly see where the force is strong in this connection. Reflecting on the moment he first glimpsed the sensation that is Baby Yoda, Bob Iger told Time:
As soon as those ears popped up from under the blanket, and the eyes, I knew.
From that moment, it sounds as though Bob Iger knew that he had a pop culture phenomenon in the realm of what Leonardo DiCaprio would become on his hands. All the more reason to work around the (adorable) problem Baby Yoda caused for The Mandalorian’s music composer. Ever since his surprise appearance on the Disney+ series, Baby Yoda has set off a wave of attention.
Stars Wars stars John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley have both weighed in on the ever-escalating Baby Yoda versus Porgs debate. I wonder if Leonardo DiCaprio has an opinion. The Mandalorian’s creator, Jon Favreau, has given his thoughts on why fans are so curious about Baby Yoda. Does it have to do with more than his adorableness? Yes.
Baby Yoda is, obviously, new to the scene compared to Leonardo DiCaprio, but he has already contributed meme-worthy content. The Mandalorian character has also left his mark on Disneyland! As you may have guessed, this development is super cute and right on the money! Speaking of funds, fans had to initially deal with a lack of Baby Yoda merchandise to spend theirs on.
The good news is that it is not going to stay that way forever! Just when you think that Baby Yoda could not reach another level of pop culture resonance, he calls to mind the breakout success of Leonardo DiCaprio! Baby Yoda is a freaking force to be reckoned with, and like DiCaprio, his importance will not be slowing down any time soon.
May the force be with Baby Yoda! Season 1 of The Mandalorian was one of this winter’s premieres. New episodes of the Star Wars series arrive Fridays on Disney+. It is important to note that The Mandalorian will be sidestepping The Last Jedi’s release weekend by coming out a couple of days earlier that week.
