• Review.Mandalorian 2: the precious, idiotic and irresistible art of the identical

Bryce Dallas Howard

(Los Angeles, 1981) is, you can say, the director that any new movie in the

Star Wars

saga

needs.

In the nine major installments (plus the two derivatives) there is not a woman at the controls of the universe (or multiverse, better) devised by

George Lucas

.

She just laughs and highlights the role that women have always played in the distant galaxy.

"Just look at Leia or Rey to be aware that we have always had an important weight

,

" she

says cautiously.

Your cover letter couldn't be more brilliant.

The two chapters of

The Mandalorian

(which has just closed its second season on Disney + with the greatest of surprises) that the daughter of

Ron Howard

(yes, the director of the failed

Han Solo

) ranks high in the series' achievements.

In the first of them,

Sanctuary

(the fourth of the first season), the last protagonist of

Jurassic World

perfectly balances the nightly action and tremendous with the distilled cinephile wisdom of

The Seven Samurai

of Kurosawa.

In

The Heiress

(the third of the second season), the fever reaches the most intimate moment in which a new 'Saurian' dynasty is born.

And always with Baby Yoda much more human than ever.

"It would be good, very good," he says about whether he sees the front of a new galactic feature film.

And there, a laugh.

Do I understand that since the first episode was shot until it was finally broadcast, she lived tortured by the desire to tell it and the signed obligation to keep it secret? Yes, it was terrible.

He walked through life as if I had eaten the canary [laughs out loud]. I think it was especially painful for his children ... Yes, I took them to the shoot and they were completely fascinated, like everyone else, with Baby Yoda.

So they were 6 and 10 years old.

The family routine in the morning at breakfast consisted of answering a question:

"Are you clear about what you cannot talk about under any circumstances at school?"

.

And the two responded in chorus: "Yes, from Baby" [laughs again]. How can you direct the actors if one is a doll and the other has his face covered? That is the challenge.

The only indication I got from

Jon Favreau

[the creator] was to shy away from considering Baby just an adorable stuffed animal.

It is more than that.

He told us that we will treat him like a baby crocodile, instead of like a baby.

Yes, it is very nice, but it can kill you at any moment as you lose yourself.

On the other hand, each director being free, what I tried was to work as much as possible with the puppet.

I focused on the Legacy team handling the doll going as far as possible in expressing feelings.

My idea was to save the digital effects until last. Do you remember how your first encounter with Baby Yoda was? I wasn't really impressed until I saw him encouraged by the puppeteers.

I mean, the credit in my opinion is not so much the design as the immense work of those who encourage it.

They are your soul.

So what I do remember is when Grogu first looked at me and I placed him on his lap.

It was incredible because he looked like a real kid. Grogu, Baby Yoda, The Child ...? From the first day I knew his name was Grogu and that's what we've always called him [his name was known in the fifth chapter of the second season] in the set.

But he could never say his name off set.

Which was agonizing.

I was terrified that it would escape me.

What do you think is the key to the success of The Mandalorian with its very simple episodes? I imagine that everyone can give an answer, their answer.

Mine is precisely the one pointed out in the question.

There is a reminiscence of the most classic cinema, the serials of a lifetime ... It is the story of a bounty hunter who protects someone weak, defenseless and, above all, innocent.

That history is universal and eternal.

Everyone wants to protect the innocent from this dangerous world.

It is easy to identify with Mando.

We are living in an era of very sophisticated television and

The Mandalorian

is planned as

a return to the expressive tools of world cinema.

What do you think The Mandalorian adds to the entire Star Wars universe?

Don't you think we're already one step away from saturation? This is something we talk about a lot in the team.

I think what George Lukas did was create a universe based on very specific references that are part of our culture.

In his films Flash Gordon with Kurosawa is mixed with the

western

... The important thing is to be aware of all these influences and play with them.

The Mandalorian

is basically a

western

... For me, on the other hand, it's a real liberation.

You come from doing Shakespeare or Chekhov in the theater and all of a sudden you get immersed in this ... It's hilarious [bursts out laughing]. Are you overwhelmed with all the Baby Yoda frenzy that has reached the end of stocks at the Christmas? When we shot the second season, the first just aired.

We knew it was successful, but we still didn't know it was that wild.

And luckily.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to work with the immense pressure not to disappoint the millions of fans ... I also remember the frustration and anger of the people because there were no toys.

Now what happens is that they have been exhausted.

Wow [bursts out laughing again]. I was asking him about the reason for the success of the series, and what about Grogu? A bit the same as we mentioned.

Its main power is its vulnerability.

Why has it taken so long for the Star Wars universe to incorporate a director (with her, Deborah Chow also directs a couple of episodes)? I don't know how to answer.

I can only say that I love being part of the directorial team and, besides, I happen to be a woman.

Being a woman or being a mother are circumstances that are part of everything I am.

I imagine that when you work with a child like Grogu, it helps that you have the experience of having children and being a mother or father.

It has helped me a lot;

She's like a son to me [laughs again]. She has new films as an actress, including Jurassic World 3, will we see her directing again after the Mandalorian experience? I like to do both and it depends on the opportunities that arise.

We will see.

Bryce Dallas Howard and Gina Carano on the set of 'The Mandalorian' Disney +

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