Sigourney Weaver was a big part of The Mandalorian & Grogu panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025 and IGN had the chance to speak with her about her new character, how she hadn’t watched an episode of The Mandalorian before being cast, how Grogu stole her heart, and even if she thinks Grogu is more powerful than a Xenomorph.
The Mandalorian & Grogu is set to be released in theaters on May 22, 2026, and we hope this interview will help with the wait and give you some insight into one of the newest characters to join that beloved galaxy far, far away.
IGN: Sigourney, thank you so much for joining us! We were thrilled to see your character in The Mandalorian & Grogu panel, and it looks like she was maybe wearing a Rebel pilot uniform? What can you tell us about your character at this point?
Sigourney Weaver: Well, she was wearing a rebel pilot uniform, and that’s how she came up. And now, of course, she’s still a pilot and is one of the people working to protect the New Republic. She’s actually out in the Outer Rim where there are vestiges of the Empire, so she needs someone like the Mandalorian and his faithful companion.
IGN: We heard that your love of Grogu was one of the reasons you decided to take on this role, so what was it like to actually work with him?
Weaver: Grogu is very mischievous. I’m sure that won’t surprise you. It’s funny because, in every scene with Grogu, there were several puppeteers who each helped him do a different thing. However, no matter how many puppeteers were around him, all I saw was Grogu. I still think he’s real.
IGN: You’ve worked with a lot of different kinds of aliens in your career, from Xenomorphs to Na’vi. What was it like working with those in comparison to Grogu?
Weaver: He’s definitely the cutest. I mean, if Xenomorphs are somewhere here and Slimer is over here, Grogu is way over the line. I think the Japanese call it Kawaii!
IGN: So, you said in the panel that you hadn’t seen The Mandalorian before you started working on this. That means I have to ask, what was it like finally watching all those episodes?
Weaver: I feel so lucky because Jon Favreau wasn’t like, ‘You’ve got to start watching this!’ I was just thrilled to do it and work with Jon on a Star Wars project. And even from the first episode, I felt that it was a great concept. It was a really good old Western with a few surprises, and I just found it charming and a great way for me to kind of re-enter the Star Wars world because there’ve been different projects and I get confused about what goes where.
So, this was a great sort of standalone story that kept building and building, and I found Din Djarin and the little fellow to be wonderful characters alongside great bad guys like Werner Herzog. The whole time, I was like, ‘What was he going to do to the little creature?!’ We don’t even want to think about it.
IGN: Love it. Now, looking forward, you’re certainly in the footage that we saw this morning. We saw you sharing a scene with Grogu and him using his Force powers to try to steal… was it like a dish of food or something?
Weaver: Yes. It’s a little bowl of snacks that were mine, and he’s doing his little Force gestures, and I’m just lucky I got them back. I had to be quite forceful.
IGN: Speaking of which, do you get to see Grogu use his Force powers in all their glory in this movie?
Weaver: Well, he’s always trying to do something. So, to the extent that I get to be with him, I get to sort of see what he does when he’s more relaxed at the home base. However, I feel like Grogu was sort of transitioning from a little learning creature to someone who has real skills. And indeed, he is the apprentice now, and I felt that I could see a big difference between that in the series.
IGN: I’m still very interested in how you came to this project and your experience with Star Wars in general, dating back to the very first movie. Going through all of what we’ve seen so far. Do you have a favorite movie from the series?
Weaver: Yeah. I think Rogue One. I really liked Felicity Jones’s character, and I’m glad that was the one I saw because I think of my generation as a member of The Rebellion. I saw the other ones quite a while ago and, I mean, it was wonderful to watch them again because you’re kind of going back to your childhood. It shows there’s a way in for everybody back into Star Wars, and you can keep it going. It goes in all directions. It’s quite an amazing thing.
IGN: Last question. Who is the most powerful being in the universe? Grogu or a Xenomorph?
Weaver: Well, it’s not that I don’t believe in him, but I’m afraid it’s a Xenomorph.
IGN: Why do you think that is?
Weaver: Because he can’t help himself. He just has to take over and destroy and promote his group. And, what I know and remember of Yoda is that he is too wise to do all of that. He’s not a destructive being. He’s on the side of good and I think Grogu is too, obviously.
IGN: And he’s just too cute to be all that threatening, right?
Weaver: Well, listen, if he stayed with Werner Herzog, who knows what he would have become?
For more, check out our recap of all the biggest moments from The Mandalorian & Grogu panel, including that Ryan Gosling has officially been cast in 2027’s Star Wars: Starfighter film.
Adam Bankhurst is a writer for IGN. You can follow him on X/Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on TikTok.
