In The Mandalorian and Grogu, the bounty hunter and his small, powerful friend search the galaxy for Imperial warlords to bring in to answer for their crimes. Among their most challenging targets is Janu Coin (Jonny Coyne), who operates a fighting ring where Rotta the Hutt is imprisoned and forced to entertain bloodthirsty audiences each night.
Awards Buzz spoke with Coyne about his lifelong relationship with the Star Wars franchise:
“I’ve seen all of them, but obviously it’s the first three that stick to my mind, mainly because it was in my formative years, as it were. There was nothing like it, as you know, at the time. You’re way too young, you wouldn’t know! There was nothing like it in the world. And so here we were, cowboys and Indians in space. There were space films before and there were science fiction films before. but never anything like this, really. So it was fun.”
He raved about getting to join an incredible group of performers who have played villains in this world:
“There’s a whole litany of actors who have played villains and various Star Wars characters, so how you fit into that group of people is astonishing, because these are world-class performers who perhaps didn’t know what they were making, to be honest with you. Legendarily, it’s believed that Alec Guinness didn’t really know what he was doing, what he was involved with, and thought it was all a bit of fun, really. I think that’s the kind way of saying it. To be in the same group of people as them, I think, is amazing really, Peter Cushing, that sort of thing.”
Watch the video above to hear about seeing behind the scenes, whether he’d like to reprise this role in the future (or past), and his reflections on a much less popular, underrated series, the short-lived FOX show Alcatraz.
The Mandalorian and Grogu is currently playing in theaters.
