Brendan Wayne Was Working as a Bartender When He Got the 'Life-Changing' Call He Was Cast in “The Mandalorian” (Exclusive)

Angela AndaloroTue, May 26, 2026 at 3:22 PM UTC

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Brendan Wayne
Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty -

Brendan Wayne was working outside of acting when the opportunity to audition to be the Mandalorian came his way

The actor, 54, thought his chances were shot when the screen test fell during the time he'd be moving his oldest daughter into college

Wayne was able to test another day and landed the role, which instantly felt "comfortable" for the actor, who tells PEOPLE about the new film, The Mandalorian & Grogu

Brendan Wayne came into the Star Wars family during a special time for his own family.

The actor, 54, who physically embodies the iconic bounty hunter in The Mandalorian & Grogu, tells PEOPLE about where his life was at when the audition process began, admitting it was a "really crazy moment."

"My oldest daughter was going away to college. I was bartending, as we do. We just do what we do to pay the bills. And I got a phone call saying, 'Hey, will you try on this costume?' I've had a lot of weird auditions, but I felt like, 'Wow, I've really hit a desperate level. Am I Little Bo Peep? What's going on and where is it?' And my agent's like, 'I can't really tell you much.' "

Wayne agreed and went to a "nondescript building" in Glendale, taking a day off of his day job for the audition.

"I was like, 'Hey, I got to get paid. If I'm taking the day off, my kid's going away to college, I got to save some money.' And so, all that came through. And I went inside this building, where I had to do a security check. I literally had no idea what it was for," he recalls.

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Dave Filoni, Brendan Wayne, Lateef Crowder, Carl Weathers, Pedro Pascal and Jon Favreau
Credit: Jesse Grant/Getty for Disney

It wasn't until he opened the next door that he realized this could be something big.

"I'm literally looking at James Cameron's Avatar. I'm looking at Idris Elba's character in Avengers. So I was a little bit scared at first. But at the same time like, 'Oh wow, this is...' I'm getting goosebumps saying it."

While Wayne was excited at the prospect to work on "something so incredible," he was also afraid it might not pan out. While he quickly realized it was a Star Wars project.

"They're like, 'Hey, try this on.' So they whip open the thing and I'm like, 'Boba Fett.' And they're like, 'No.' And I was like, 'No, no, no. I signed the NDA. It's cool.' And they're like, 'No.' I'm like, 'You guys are a little adamant. Okay.' I said, 'Grew up in the business. I understand how to keep secrets.' And they were adamant," he laughed.

"I was able to just put on the costume. And it felt like home when I put it on. Then they took me in, took all these pictures. I was stoked. I called my wife when I got out of there. I was like, 'Oh, it was cool. I got to try on some Star Wars thing.' "

The exciting experience was followed up by not hearing back for a week, after which he got a call to screen test for the part, which was still being referred to as "an untitled Star Wars project."

The only problem? The screen test was set for the day that Wayne was set to move his oldest daughter into her first year of college.

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"I was like, 'I can't. My kid's going to college,' And he's like, 'Can you movie it?' I said, 'No. It's my kid. It's my family. You can't take that away from me. She's not a kid anymore. She's 18," he shared, moved as he recalled the situation.

Brendan Wayne poses with The Mandalorian and Grogu
Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

"I said something stupid like, 'Hey, this isn't like getting married. You might get married a couple times, but my daughter's only going to college once, so I'll be able to stare at all the boys and everybody to let them know that I'm around and I'm in their life once. And that's an impression I need to make.' And my agent, he understood at that point. And he told them," Wayne shared.

The actor was shocked when he learned that they could accommodate seeing him on a different day. Wayne remembers immediately feeling comfortable enough to make comments and suggestions about the character as he prepared for the audition, "Feeling at home with Mando."

"I threw it on and I ran around. I rode a motorcycle on it, bad idea, do not do that. I was on dirt with no other cars around me. It's a terrible idea even there. Trust me, I learned. But I learned how not to walk into walls and how to gauge my steps, how to understand my environment. And so, it just felt comfortable. And I took off and I took my kid to college after that. It was pretty cool."

Wayne had a feeling bigger names would end up in the role, so he focused on what was ahead of him and moved his daughter into her college dorm.

"I had to borrow money to get there. My sister lent us some money so the whole family, I had my other two daughters with us, could head out there and be there," he admitted.

While the family was in Boston, "I got a phone call from production and they were like, 'Hey, we'd love to have you. We'll play it by ear, how much you're going to work, but we'd love to have you on the project.'"

"I would say as an actor, it was incredible, and it was, because they were going to challenge me to prove my worth daily. And I had no qualms with that. I'm willing to do that, and I did it. But to be able to look at my kid and be like, 'Oh man, I'm going to be able to help you at school. It's going to be incredible.' It was an incredible, incredible, life-changing moment. And then, to think about my six-year-old self in a movie theater, wishing I could be in that world, to be able to step into it now at that moment in my life was absolutely incredible."

Wayne feels a true connection to this character and seeing his story develop. He's excited for fans new and seasoned to see the latest chapter in that story. Of the new film, the actor celebrates "an incredible adventure."

"I think it's going to transcend ages, and that's also what I love about Mando. That's what this movie's about, about sitting there with generations. We're going to be able to watch a movie and just go on a journey. And everyone's going to have their own experience and identities represented. And that's the best of Star Wars. And I know that's a lot to hope for, but I don't hope, I know that's what we did."

He continued, "I love playing Mando. I'm an adult who gets paid to live his childhood imagination. I get to walk on set every day, and some days are tougher than others, but none of them are bad. And it's really simple, I get to play the sheriff who's always trying to do good. My grandfather really did it well. He was never a white hat guy. He was a truly complicated character who did the right thing in tough moments. And those kinds of characters are incredible, and that's who Mando is."

The Mandalorian & Grogu is in theaters May 22.

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