John Wayne's Grandson Reveals How the Late Legend Inspired His ‘Star Wars' Performance
Brendan Wayne looked to his late grandfatherJohn Wayne's storied career for guidance while acting in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Brendan-who serves as the physical embodiment of the film's titular character, while Pedro Pascal voices The Mandalorian and portrays him without a helmet and Lateef Crowder does his stunts-opened up about John's impact on his performance in the Star Wars franchise.
"I had to really learn stillness, and it's really been one of the greatest things I've learned as an actor," Brendan, 54, told Entertainment Weekly in an interview published on Saturday, May 23. "For me, that journey, I always fought that because my grandfather was exceptional at being present and radiating whatever [was happening around him]. [Director] John Ford loved to say to him, ‘The less I give you, Duke, the better the movie is going to be.' It sounds like a slight, but it was more about if you just be there, it's as powerful as anything."
While starring on three seasons of the Disney+ series The Mandalorian from 2019 to 2023, Brendan discovered, "The more still I became, the more I became like my grandfather."
During his stint as the character's body double, Brendan perfected a routine to get in the right headspace.
"I would get to set two and a half, three hours early, I'd do my workout and then I'd go spend an hour at least walking the set because I never wanted Mando to fall down in front of the crew," he explained. "I wanted him to be as smooth as my grandfather, Clint Eastwood or Yul Brynner in Westworld. I wanted him as smooth as could be so that every movement did matter."
While John is best known for his roles in western films, the late Oscar winner actually voiced Galactic Empire spy Garindan ezz Zavor in the 1977 movie Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, which Brendan was unaware of before he landed the part of The Mandalorian. According to Brendan, stock audio from his grandfather's True Grit performance was edited for use in the film.
"Riding the coattails of my grandfather is awesome," he told People in a Friday, May 22, interview. "I had hoped I might have been able to be the first in this, but no, sadly, I was still second."
Brendan reflected on his grandfather's influence amid the theatrical release of The Mandalorian and Grogu on Friday. The movie also stars Pascal, 51, Crowder, 48, Jeremy Allen White (Rotta the Hut), Jonny Coyne (Janu Coin) and Sigourney Weaver (Ward).
John was a father of seven, with Brendan's late mom being John's eldest daughter, Toni, whom he shared with ex-wife Josephine Sáenz. In addition to Toni, he and Sáenz were parents of sons Michael and Patrick and daughter Melinda. He also shared daughter Aissa, son Ethan and daughter Marisa with wife Pilar Pallete.
John died of stomach cancer in June 1979 at age 72.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 7:15 PM.