Boba Fett has been one of the most popular Star Wars characters for decades, despite having a minimal role in the Skywalker saga. Now, thanks to Star Wars' presence on Disney+, the fan-favorite bounty hunter is finally getting his moment in the spotlight. Building off Boba's live-action return in The Mandalorian season 2, spinoff The Book of Boba Fett shows Boba attempt to stake claim to Jabba the Hutt's old territory on Tatooine. Alongside Boba is Fennec Shand, further developing the bond those two characters have.
Stars Temuera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen, who play Boba and Fennec respectively, spoke to Screen Rant about the fan response to their characters, the challenges of making the show amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, fun they have on set, and much more.
Screen Rant: I'm still reeling from the episode this morning!
Ming-Na Wen: Oh, wonderful. Oh, good to hear.
Temuera Morrison: Thank you so much.
In the show, Boba and Fennec, they have this kind of survivor's bond. But even in the fandom, these are characters that people were really furious for when we thought they had died. Have you to bonded over that aspect of just being characters that fans really, really really want to see back?
Ming-Na Wen: I mean, it's beyond belief that this has been happening and we're being well-received for The Book of Boba Fett. We're so grateful. I don't take any of this for granted. Every day I'm pinching myself. [I'm] so happy and I love working with Tem. I love working with Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni, Robert Rodriguez, our incredible crew, everyone who puts their heart and soul into this project. It's a dream. It's a real dream.
Temuera Morrison: It's very humbling now that we are sitting here and seeing episode one and episode two. And for us, it's such a buzz too. And finally, we put in the hours, we put in the sweat and everything, and so it's really nice. I can feel the buzz too. I can feel that there's a real genuine buzz about this new, fresh saga. So again, I just feel very privileged, like Ming-Na. The one thing we did have was great chemistry, that didn't require any work whatsoever. We had a lovely family feeling. Between us actors and the crew, we're all together.
I have a big trick though. I've become very close friends -- not with the director, not with the director of photography -- but with the focus puller. The focus puller always keeps the actors in focus. Generally, the audience looked at the actor in focus, I always make sure to buy the focus puller a couple of beers. And so when the two of us are in shot, Ming-Na and myself are in the same shot, well obviously, the focus puller keeps me in focus and Ming's the one out of focus.
Ming-Na Wen: (laughs) And I actually don't mind being a little fuzzy. I prefer it.
Temuera Morrison: Yeah, you like that fuzzy beauty look.
Ming-Na Wen: Yeah soft, soft, soft.
Temuera Morrison: But we had a great time. We had a great time. We knew the crew, we knew everybody the focus pullers, the sound guy.
Ming-Na Wen: But you're the better looking one anyways, Tem. So, obviously.
Temuera Morrison: Ming-Na's so humbled, too. She just goes about her work and we lit it up. I think we lit it up and now, we're starting to see some of those fruits come to fruition.
Ming-Na Wen: And a lot of those scenes, I didn't see because he was shooting on his own with the Tuskens and everything. So for me, I was a complete Star Wars fan watching the second episode and just loving everything about it. It was so exciting and so much fun to watch Tem discover the new Boba with the Tusken Raiders.
Temuera Morrison: I did get jealous that I had to go to that backlot 2.0 because I just knew what was in store, sand and more sand.
Ming-Na Wen: And a lizard crawling up your nose!
Temuera Morrison: I noticed you end on the course. "Bring that Ming-Na! Tell her to come to work!" She'd be laughing, "Bye! Bye! Have a great week." What do you mean week? Because I'd be on the sands of Tatooine. But yeah, well, we had so much fun too. And we worked with some incredible people. Having Jon and Dave as leaders, having the gift that Robert Rodriguez says, "A very good director knows how to work the cameras." There isn't a facet of filmmaking that he doesn't know about. Because he had to make movies all by himself, in terms of holding the camera, editing, trying to get it out there. I think it's a wonderful opportunity for him as well, to really shine and in some of that directing, especially in episode two. That episode could have survived on the big screen, quite easily.
Ming-Na Wen: We have to give props to Steph Green too, because she did an amazing job with the episode, directing it. And having Robert just overseeing things and making sure that it keeps to the theme and the look of it. And we had Dean Cundey, who was just the most amazing DP working with us. Every time he came on set, we were just sort of in awe.
Temuera Morrison: I remember our director was pregnant, too. Steph. And we're out on set, we had all these COVID restrictions. So it wasn't really about egos or anything and it was really about the work. And that kind of negated everything. We just knew we had to work hard. And I think, to say it quite honestly, that Ming and myself, we left everything on the stage. We left everything there. When we left every day, we knew we had done the best we can in that particular environment and some of the sets now that we get to work on spectacular yes
Ming-Na Wen: Amazing.
The Book of Boba Fett airs Wednesdays on Disney+.