Pedro Pascal The Hispanic Mandalorian

Disney Plus just started it’s streaming service November 12th, and millions signed up for it. Disney revealed early on the streaming service would feature originals series, that would be available exclusively to stream. One that most were anticipating was “The Mandalorian” which is written and produced by none other than Jon Favreau.

The Mandalorian Origination 

Based 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.

 

S1 Episodes/Airdates:

 #101- November 12 (season premiere) 

#102- November 15

 #103- November 22 

#104- November 29 

#105- December 6 

#106- December 13 

#107- December 18 

#108 – December 27 (season finale)

 

 

Who Plays The Mandalorian?

The Mandalorian is played by Pedro Pascal aka Jose Pedro Balmaceda Pascal a Chilean-born American actor. Pedro is best known for portraying the roles of Oberyn Martell in the fourth season of the HBO series Game of Thrones and Javier Peña in the Netflix series Narcos. Born in Santiago, Chile, to Veronica Pascal and José Pedro Balmaceda Riera, a medical professional. Pedro’s family were opposed to dictator Augusto Pinochet, and they moved to the U.S. during Pedro’s early years. He was raised in Orange County, California and San Antonio, Texas.

In November 2018, it was announced that Pascal would play the title role in the first live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian, which debuted on Disney+ in November 2019. He also starred as Francisco “Catfish” Morales in the heist drama Triple Frontier (2019). He was cast as Maxwell Lord alongside Gal Gadot and Chris Pine in the DC Extended Universe film Wonder Woman 1984, directed by Patty Jenkins;  film is scheduled to be released in 2020.

Hispanic Representation 

It is no secret that the United States’ film and television industry has a diversity problem. Latinos makeup 17% of the American population and 32% of frequent moviegoers but are entirely underrepresented in film and TV.  In the Media, Diversity, and Social Change Initiative’s 2014 Report, Latinos made up only 4.9% of the movie characters in the 100 top-grossing films.

 Felix Sánchez, co-founder of the National Hispanics Foundation for the Arts, said the report reiterates a pattern he has seen in Hollywood for 20 years. He said on-screen representation, and whether or not a character even gets named, starts in predominantly white writers’ rooms.

While less than 27 percent of series regulars in broadcast television were from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups, the number edges up to almost 30 percent for series on streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

 

Paving The Way

Disney is paving the way on representation in the entertainment industry this is a huge win for us as Latinos and Hispanics, we spend a lot of money every year on movies and streaming services. It is nice to watch a series on Disney Plus where the main character is Hispanic/Latino, where my kids can see that they can also do film and television someday. 

This is one of our favorite series to watch together as a family, and while Baby Yoda might be trying to steak the show, we have already won with Pedro Pascual as “The Mandalorian”.

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