Star Wars: The Mandalorian Star Gina Carano Recalls an Emotional Encounter She Had With Jon Favreau

Gina Carano first earned fame thanks to her skills as an MMA fighter, using her Muay Thai abilities to dominate her competition. Director Steven Soderbergh tapped Carano to star in his film Haywire, which Carano followed with turns in big blockbusters Fast & Furious 6 and Deadpool. The actress continues to score parts in major franchises, with audiences being able to see her later this year when Star Wars: The Mandalorian debuts on Disney+. Despite already amassing a number of exciting roles, Carano recently revealed that her time on the set of the Star Wars series led to an emotional interaction with producer Jon Favreau about how her entire career was about to change.

“He looked at me before my big scene, one of my biggest introductory scenes in Mandalorian, and he was like, ‘We’re gonna change your trajectory right now,’” Carano shared with Entertainment Tonight. “I think he’s a very honest man, and he’s seen the struggle, and he’s seen what happens to careers and he’s like, ‘We’re gonna change your path right now’… He’s like, ‘From here on out, you’re gonna choose jobs that are complementing [you]. And you’re gonna choose jobs that challenge you. And you’re gonna believe in yourself. From this scene forward.’”

Details about Carano’s character have been kept under wraps, though the actress teased that it’s a much more complex role than she’s been offered in the past.

“I was welling up with tears,” the actress admitted about the experience. “And I went out and I crushed that scene. And it was like, a scene when I first read the script I was like, ‘Oh gosh, this is more than I’ve ever been given — how am I going to do this?’ And then, with him, I really trained for it, and I really was present… He believed in me and it helped me believe in myself.”

She added, “I couldn’t thank him enough, because I feel like my whole life since I shot that has been a different world.”

After the stories of Jango and Boba Fett, another warrior emerges in the Star Wars universe. The Mandalorian is set after the fall of the Empire and before the emergence of the First Order. We follow the travails of a lone gunfighter in the outer reaches of the galaxy far from the authority of the New Republic.

Stay tuned for details on Star Wars: The Mandalorian, which debuts on Disney+ on November 12th.

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