In The Mandalorian season 3, Grogu and Din Djarin have reunited, with Grogu officially becoming a Mandalorian foundling. Din and Bo-Katan return after bathing in the living waters on Mandalore and are accepted into the fold by the Armorer and the other Mandalorians. Their trip to Mandalore has revealed that their home planet, while devastated by the Empire's attack, is not as uninhabitable as many had believed. Din continues to weld the Darksaber, but Bo-Katan may have a new trick up her sleeve after spotting a Mythosaur deep within the living waters on Mandalore.

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Season 3 will explore Mandalorian culture and different surviving sects, with the discovery that Mandalore is not cursed possibly at the center of it. The Mandalorian features a star-studded cast that includes Pedro Pascal, Katee Sackhoff, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, and Amy Sedaris returning. The Mandalorian is executive produced by Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, who also created the Emmy Award-winning series.

Related: Hidden Clone Wars Connection Makes Bo-Katan's Mandalorian Twist Much Deeper

Screen Rant spoke with Emily Swallow about her role as The Armorer in The Mandalorian. Swallow breaks down the relationship between Din and The Armorer as well as her thoughts on Grogu as a Force wielder and Mandalorian foundling. Swallow also discusses collaborating with Favreau and Filoni to craft The Armorer and what aspects of The Armorer's past she hopes to explore in the future.

Emily Swallow on The Mandalorian Season 3

The_Armorer's_cameo_in_The_Book_of_Boba_Fett

Screen Rant: I'm a huge fan of The Mandalorian. It's sci-fi meets Western, and all these classic tropes we love about Star Wars. Your character is one of the most mysterious characters in the universe. Do you see the Armorer as an ally to Mando or a potential rival power base?

Emily Swallow: I'm trying to keep her shrouded in mystery. [Laughs] No, I think that she is an ally to Mando. I don't feel like she's someone who is seeking power. I think that she is somebody who sees great potential in him and has been trying to help him along his way to live up to his potential, and to live up to what he's capable of without forcing him to do anything.

Like any great teacher, she wants him to make his own decisions and to see the potential in himself. Because I think that we do our best when we're not doing something because someone else has told us to, but when we say, "Oh no, I'm doing this because I see that this is the choice that I want to make, and this is something that I feel fully informed about and that I see to be the best choice to make."

We're going to see a lot more Mandalorians this season from different sects. Will we see the Armorer interact with those that don't follow the creed like Bo-Katan, and what can you tease about her feelings about these other clans?

Emily Swallow: We will probably see some interaction. I think that stands to reason that if we see more Mandalorians, we'll see the intersection of some disparate beliefs. And I think that her views will have some people challenging them. My brain is like, "What can you say without saying too much?" I have to be so annoyingly vague in a lot of these interviews. I think the fans are going to be happy because we are addressing a lot of the questions that people have had for a while and that need to be addressed.

They're uncomfortable questions that happen whenever you have a group of people that adheres to a set of beliefs, and then there are factions and pockets that say, "You know what? We're going to do things a different way." What does that do to the group as a whole? And the important thing is to talk about the differences. I think that that's something that applies to us right now too. There's things that people disagree about, and we've got to talk about them. We're going to get to see The Mandalorians deal with it in healthy ways and unhealthy ways, and it makes for good storytelling.

The Beskar skull of the Mythosaur hanging above the Armorer's forge in The Mandalorian season 3, episode 1

Do you think the Armorer believes Mandalore can be reclaimed according to the prophecies?

Emily Swallow: I think that she always has hope, and I think that she is willing to believe. I think that she sees non-linear solutions to things, and she's somebody who thinks in metaphors and not necessarily in actual reality. So, sometimes she talks about the Songs of Eon's past. She talks about different prophecies and things. And, sometimes perhaps there's a prophecy that might be fulfilled in a way that is not literal. Who knows? I think that she's very open. She's somebody who is willing to think outside the box.

Your character is simply called the Armorer. Do you know her actual name, or did you abandon her past identity as a part of taking the role?

Emily Swallow: I think her name is Pam. I think it's just something real basic. It doesn't get in the way. [Laughs] No, one of the things I love about her is that we know so little about her personal life. Normally, when I'm working on a character, I like to have so many details about backstory and about someone's personal history.

But for the Armorer, because she does exist so much in service to Din and in service to the other Mandalorians, I personally have stayed away from trying to connect too much to what her backstory is. Because it helps me in playing her. We haven't established a whole lot for her that Jon and Dave know haven't told me. They've given me a lot of freedom with deciding whatever I want to decide, but they haven't told me much about her.

When I talked to Jon and Dave, they explained to me the relationship between Din and the Armorer was similar to Merlin and King Arthur. Is that how it was described to you, or was it explained differently?

Emily Swallow: No, we haven't talked about that dynamic.

Peli Motto smiling and raising her eyebrows in Book of Boba Fett Episode 5

Is there a Star Wars character that you haven't had a chance to interact with, but want to on screen?

Emily Swallow: Oh my gosh, yes. I want the Armorer and Peli Motto to have a scene together, because I think that it would just be so awkward and amazing. My dream come true. Also because I personally am a huge fan of Amy's. I think she's just brilliant and hilarious, and I can think of so many awkward [moments]. Just imagine the Armorer and Peli in a room together.

The scenes just write themselves. Dave and Jon did talk a little bit about the lineage of the Armorer when I spoke to them. How much do you know about it, and will we explore that this season?

Emily Swallow: We will find out a bit more.

Is there anything about the Armorer that you haven't had a chance to really dig into but would like to?

Emily Swallow: Well, I'm curious to know... Wow. Gosh, I get into these and start to answer a question, and then I'm like, "Wait, don't say too much about that." I just got done answering this question where I'm, "I don't really want to know much about her backstory." But, I do want to know what she's lost personally along the way.

My heart hurts for her sometimes because I do think that she absolutely trusts the path that she has chosen to live in service to her people. I admire that in her so much, and I admire the faith that she has because I do think that she has faith that things are going to work out for The Mandalorians. But I wonder who [and] what she's lost along the way. I'd be so curious to find that out, and I wonder if we ever will. I wonder who else she has sort of mentored the way that she has Din Djarin, and who else she's been close to, because we don't know anything about that right now.

Din Djarin, Bo-Katan, and Grogu in The Mandalorian season 3

What's the Armorer's opinion of Grogu? A force wielder who is trained as a Jedi and now a Mandalorian youngling?

Emily Swallow: I think that she was the one that made the decision to spare him, even though she knows the risks that come from Jedis towards The Mandalorian people. She was the one that said, "Listen, you're responsible for this guy. You got to watch out for him." And she sent them off together. So, I think that she has a feeling that there is something good in him and there is something that they need to protect in him. I think she's very curious to see how he does grow and develop.

She also sees that he is the reason that Din Djarin went from being a lone ranger and not being beholden to anybody. It was because of Grogu that he started to develop this feeling of family and community and wanting to be a part of something bigger than just his solo endeavors. I think she sees that as being ultimately a good thing, so she's curious to see what else he inspires in Din and in the other people that he comes in contact with.

Is the Armorer more a maternal figure to the Foundling or something of a warrior chief?

Emily Swallow: I think she's both. I think being warriors is just so completely in The Mandalorian's blood. Just a given. But I think that she is a maternal figure, especially for the Foundlings that don't have parental figures there within The Mandalorian people. I think that she's able to walk that line because she's a warrior, but as we've seen, she doesn't pull out the big guns or the big hammer and tongs until she really needs to. She is able to be encouraging and nurturing without being coddling and being overbearing. But she's kind of incredible to me in that way that she's able to do both. She's very strong, but she is maternal as well.

Which episode of The Mandalorian season 3 is your favorite so far? You don't have to say which ones you're in, but which one ones are your favorite?

Emily Swallow: I'm trying to remember, because we shot them all out of order. The whole time we were shooting, we would go from shooting a few days for episode 3 to shooting a few days for episode 4; it was just bits and pieces all over the place.

From what I remember and what I know, I'm very excited to see the last one; to see how it all ends when it's all said and done. I'm excited to see the fourth one because Carl directed that one. I'm not sure if I was supposed to say that.

You've been so careful, Emily. You've been so careful.

Emily Swallow: I know, this is so hard. This is why it was easier in season 1 when I truly knew nothing, because then I could say nothing. I mean, they're all going to be spectacular.

The Mandalorian Finale - Mando and the Armorer

How has your understanding of the Armorer evolved over three seasons?

Emily Swallow: Oh, wow. I mean, it's been incredible because all I had on my paper in my audition was that she was a zen-like leader of a group of people in hiding. I didn't really know much more than that when I shot it, honestly, because everything was so secretive. I talked with Jon and Dave a little bit, but we didn't really talk much about her being this mentor, from what I remember.

I sort of got the feeling that she was a little bit of an Obi-Wan to Mando, but I don't even think that idea crystallized until I sort of saw the whole season. I don't think I got that sense from what I shot, because I wasn't in that many scenes in the first season, and I wasn't privy to the rest of the script. I didn't really know how the whole story panned out until I got to watch the season with everybody else when it was released. And then I had no idea, honestly, if I was going to come back because I wasn't in season 2. I didn't know how she would continue to fit into the story. When I got the script for the episode of the Book of Boba Fett, things started to really fall into place in a more comprehensive way.

I remember I got on a Zoom call with Jon and Dave for that episode because I was revealing a lot of information, and I wanted to make sure I knew which of it was brand new to the fans. Because as you mentioned with her being a little bit like Merlin, she doesn't see the future in a specific way, but there's things that she has a sense about. I wanted to know, "Okay, what of this is new information? What of it is stuff that she's revealing that had been suggested in the past, and what had been prophesied?"

I wanted to make sure I was very specific about that. Then they started telling me that they were laying some of the groundwork for season 3 and things that would be coming up, which was shocking to me. Prior to this, I never found out if I was going to be part of the story until immediately before because of all the secrecy around it. So, I was like, "Wait, I might have job security?"

They told me how she would be figuring into the story for season 3, and I started to get a sense of how she was connected to Din more. I have gotten a feeling that there is more of that personal relationship. After I watched all of season 1, she does see this great potential in him and, not knowing anything specific about her backstory, she does see that he is somebody very special to her. She sees him as somebody who could lead their people to some next season and [past] what they're suffering through.

And something of that is happening. I mean, he has gone to Mandalor. I don't know what's going to happen with that next, but it has been interesting to see. When I first went in, it was, "Oh, okay. She is this sort of detached leader of these people. She's very calm, cool, and collected," and that's great. It's been really cool with The Book of Boba Fett and the beginning of this season to see that she is more invested in Din. There's a little bit of a softening there, if you can even say that with her.

What's been the most surprising part about playing the Armorer for you?

Emily Swallow: I think the impact that she's had. It's been so revelatory to me to go out and meet the fans and do fan conventions and stuff, and to hear what they take away from her and what they get from her. It's really, really remarkable to see how she fits into the universe. And, so especially because the experience of actually being in... I look at her, I look at what this costume looks like, and I have a very strong feeling about her, but being inside the suit is really awkward.

And, as many people have said, who have to wear these helmets, you can't see anything. I feel awkward inside it. I run into things and then I look at it and she's this very dignified, inspiring figure. And, so that's sort of weird too, to feel one way inside it, but to know that it has this impact. So, it's a whole roller coaster.

Can you talk about how you emote with the physicality of your performance since we never see your face?

Emily Swallow: That has been such a wonderful challenge, and it has really required me and demanded of me that I trust simplicity so much. It really requires me to try a lot less. And, I am one of those people who all my life, I've one of those people who wants to just work really hard and show that I can do it, and with this character and with these masks that we wear. I've done mask work in theater before and that's very helpful.

Especially when you're wearing something like that on camera, any extraneous movement is entirely distracting, and it really takes away from it and especially with her, her power comes from stillness. Her power comes from economy of movement. And, so if I'm feeling like I want to communicate something, I actually have to do a lot less. And, that requires me to trust that whatever I'm feeling, whatever I'm thinking that it's going to come through, and it does. Which feels entirely contradictory and it's such a wonderful journey to be on with her and such a gift, because I feel like she helps me that way because I see that I don't have to work so hard to try to communicate, and that I can really be much simpler.

I was talking to Jon and Dave, sitting in a room with them as they were debating whether or not Luke was a Jedi. It was a fanboy experience for me, watching these two creators just talk about this stuff. For you, what is the collaboration process like of working with Jon and David on crafting the character?

Emily Swallow: I feel I want to pinch myself every time because they are so open about our contributions to these characters. They trust us so much. It's just so ridiculous to me because... You've sat there talking to them; you know how brilliant they are. You know that they know this universe inside and out, and yet I think that one of the reasons the show is so good is because we all enjoy working on it so much. We all feel like our contributions are so valued. It raises our work to another level. It makes everybody so much better and so much more inspired, because they trust that at this point. We know these characters and we do have something valuable to contribute.

I regularly have conversations with them, when there's scenes between the Armorer and Din, about their relationship. "Okay, but is she trying to get this out of him? Or is she trying to provoke him to do this?" We talk about the minutiae of some of the lines and whether it might be better served this way or that way.

One of the most fun things that we have is we record all of the dialogue while we're shooting it, because there's a microphone in the helmet. But then we do ADR sessions after the fact, and normally there's not much that they need to do because they've recorded all of it. But because I'm wearing a helmet, and we don't have to match mouth movement, we can change lines if we need to. Those become wonderful, collaborative, creative sessions too, because after we've shot the whole season, if there's something that has been revealed in terms of story and they realize, "Oh, actually maybe this scene needs to be a little different and this would help the story," then we can talk in that ADR session about, "Okay, would this help the character more? Would this help the story more?"

They're just so trusting and so collaborative, and they inspire all of us to be our best because they trust us so much. We do bring our best, and I cannot say enough about what a dream it is to work with them.

About The Mandalorian

The Armorer in The Mandalorian season 3 premiere.

In the new season, Din Djarin, once a lone bounty hunter, has been reunited with Grogu, a child of Yoda’s species whom he rescued and subsequently turned over to Luke Skywalker at the end of Season 2. As the New Republic struggles to lead the galaxy away from its dark history, the Mandalorian crosses paths with old allies and makes new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.

Check out our other The Mandalorian interviews here:

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