Brendan Wayne Brings Cowboy Swagger to the 'Mandalorian,' Says 'Star Wars Is a Western'

If you're wondering if The Mandalorian and Grogu is a new kind of Star Wars movie, the answer is, yes. This is the first Star Wars feature film based on a TV show. But the style and vibe of this galactic romp is decidedly very, very old school. More than any Star Wars movie previously, The Mandalorian and Grogu is a pulpy adventure film through-and-through, complete with gunslinging action, and the ethos of a classic Western. Don't think Star Wars is a sci-fi Western? The man who plays the body of the titular bounty hunter, Brendan Wayne, is Western royalty. He's the grandson of actor John Wayne, and has played Mando with dangerous stillness since 2019. Alongside Pedro Pascal (the voice and the face) and stunt actor Lateef Crowder, Wayne's cowboy swagger has defined The Mandalorian from the very start.

"I'm a cowboy," Wayne tells Men's Journal. "But what does it mean to be a cowboy? It's going to sound trite, but it's the same thing that it means to be a Mandalorian: You have a code, and it's for the greater good, not just for you. Rugged individualism is Mando."

Although he began as a contractor, doing "suit work" on Season 1 of The Mandalorian (which helped launch Disney+ in 2019), Wayne is now a very recognizable part of the Star Wars celebrity world. At the start of the new film, Wayne receives top billing in the credits, right after Pedro Pascal. And you can bet that if it's not a huge stunt sequence [likely Crowder], or if the helmet is firmly on the body, you're seeing the movements of Wayne as Mando. "It's a seamless process," Wayne says, shrugging off the idea that one of the three men deserves more credit than the others. "There's no stress. I would never stand above anybody because I'm standing on somebody else's shoulders. We stand together."

With a down-to-earth, humble demeanor, Wayne feels like the kind of guy who, in real life, is closer to a Ted Lasso type than a Star Wars, blaster-wielding badass. Unsurprisingly, he coaches young women's soccer. "I've been doing that for 22 years now, and I coach the local high school, I coach at a club. I need to be on the field moving around doing that whenever I get the opportunity."

And, instead of Ted Lasso's speeches about how to "believe" in yourself, it seems Coach Mando brings it all back to the cowboy ethos of his most famous role. "Star Wars is a Western," he explains. "It's not even close. It's a mythology."

Wayne emphasizes, though, that his notion of cowboy philosophies has less to do with the physical aspects of riding horses or roping cattle. It's all about a basic credo and code that extends to everyone, even if you've never been on a horse in your life. In the middle of The Mandalorian, Din Djarin and Grogu/Baby Yoda retire to what can only be called a space ranch, complete with some of Mando's Blurgg's from Season 1, roaming in a pen. This spot clearly is the Mandalorian's happy place.

"Did I grow up around horses? Did we have a ranch? We had the biggest cattle sale this side of the Mississippi at my grandfather's [John Wayne's] ranch," Wayne explains. "I grew up with that. But it's more about the cowboy code to me. It's about respect for others, unless they don't respect you. These are the values that we find with Mando. And Mando is a true cowboy. Because the true cowboys are always accepting of others."

The Mandalorian and Grogu is in theaters now.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on May 22, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 3:02 PM.