At this point, it’s a well-known fact that The Mandalorian has become a runaway hit for Disney+ and Lucasfilm. A lot of its popularity is, of course, due to the worldwide popularity of The Child or Baby Yoda. Naturally, the cast and crew have spent plenty of time talking about what it was like to work with the character on set, and you have to wonder how they feel about getting constant questions on the topic. Well, one Mandalorian star is opening up how he feels about getting Baby Yoda questions on such a frequent basis.
Werner Herzog, who played The Client during the first season of The Mandalorian, was recently asked how he felt about the prospect of getting Baby Yoda questions for the rest of his life. Believe it or not, the veteran actor and filmmaker actually has no problem “saying something good” about Baby Yoda for the foreseeable future:
I’m not really into the Internet, social media and the comments on the Internet. So, of course, it took me by surprise. But what’s wrong with saying something good about Baby Yoda, which is really a phenomenal achievement? It’s wonderfully created and sculpted, and a mechanical device that is a massive achievement for cinema. You can see it with your eyes, and you can touch it. That’s why I said, “Don’t try to have a fallback, a plan B, and shoot it now in a digital remake of what you already have in the can. It’s so wonderful. You cannot outdo it. Don’t be cowards. You are trailblazers.” What The Mandalorian is doing with its technology, it replaces what has been very difficult for actors, cameras and for everything: the green screens. But here, with these round horizons, as an actor, you know where you are, and the camera knows and sees the foreign planet on which you are moving. This is a wonderful achievement. It’s cinema where it always has been and where it should be back.
It's honestly nice to hear Werner Herzog share those sentiments with THR, and they’re not surprising. Of all the stars of The Mandalorian, Herzog has arguably been the most vocal about working with the Baby Yoda puppet. While he has previously admitted that he doesn’t find the puppet to be cute, he does appreciate the sculpting and technological craft that went in to creating it.
It would also appear that Werner Herzog formed a very personal connection with Baby Yoda. Mandalorian director Deborah Chow once recalled that while filming a scene with Herzog and Baby Yoda, the actor actually started to treat the puppet as if it were real and began to direct it himself.
This is just a testament to how real Baby Yoda has become to so many and, whenever something happens to the character, audiences have passionate responses. This was especially true when Jason Sudeikis’ scout trooper punched Baby Yoda, leading to almost instant backlash on social media.
Despite his character being killed off in the season finale, Werner Herzog is definitely going to be getting questions about Baby Yoda and The Mandalorian as a whole for years to come. But based on his recent comments, he’s sure to have no trouble reflecting on his time with the green, Force-wielding infant.
The Mandalorian Season 2 is set to premiere on Disney+ this fall, while the first season is currently available to stream.
