What The Mandalorian's Carl Weathers Finds Challenging About Playing Greef Karga For Disney+

Greef Karga (Carl Weathers) sits in a cockpit on The Mandalorian (2020)

CinemaBlend participates in affiliate programs with various companies. We may earn a commission when you click on or make purchases via links.

Disney+’s The Mandalorian has brought a lot of fresh elements to the Star Wars universe, including a collection of talented actors. The addition of TV and film legend Carl Weathers to the galaxy far, far away was a prospect that got fans excited about the show early on. Most would agree that the Apollo Creed actor has shined in the role of former Bounty Hunters’ Guild leader Greef Karga. Still, as the actor recently explained, there are challenges that come with playing the role.

Carl Weathers is certainly no stranger to action and spectacle-heavy productions. So The Mandalorian’s giant set pieces and fast-paced action sequences actually aren’t a problem for him. As it turns out, it’s another aspect of the acclaimed series that proves to be the most challenging for him. While speaking about the show’s run-and-gun nature, he said:

That’s the easy stuff. The quieter stuff is where a lot of challenges can be. But I enjoyed it all.

Quiet character moments can be tricky for an actor to nail in any kind of movie or TV show, though there’s an added challenge that comes with doing so in larger productions like The Mandalorian. Without skilled writers and directors, the quieter scenes can get lost in the ocean of visual effects. Thankfully, this is far from the case here, as Mandalorian leads Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni balance things out well.

Of course, like other big-budget projects, The Mandalorian is incredibly complex, as it requires various people (actors, directors, costume designers, visual effects artists, etc.) to mesh in order for things to work. Later in his conversation with THR, Weathers spoke about the fluid nature of the show and how it affects him as performer:

This [show] morphs, it changes, it grows. It operates almost as this living, breathing entity, so you really have a chance to express yourself as a performer. There are blueprints, but man, you have so much flexibility with how the house is going to finally be realized.

Despite the challenges (which include acting against a lead who wears a helmet), Carl Weathers seems to be thriving as a member of the Mandalorian family. His performance in Season 2’s “Chapter 12: The Siege” (which he also directed) even earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. The episode, along with a lot more Star Wars content, is available to stream on Disney+, which you can sign up for using this link.

Though details on The Mandalorian Season 3 are scarce at the moment, filming is expected to begin soon. And fans will be pleased to know that Carl Weathers will indeed be returning. We’ll see what lies ahead for his jovial (and slightly shifty) magistrate when the series makes its eventual return.

Erik Swann
Senior Content Producer

Erik Swann is a Senior Content Producer at CinemaBlend. He began working with the publication in 2020 when he was hired as Weekend Editor. Today, he continues to write, edit and handle social media responsibilities over the weekend. On weekdays, he also writes TV and movie-related news and helps out with editing and social media as needed. He graduated from the University of Maryland, where he received a degree in Broadcast Journalism. After shifting into multi-platform journalism, he started working as a freelance writer and editor before joining CB. Covers superheroes, sci-fi, comedy, and almost anything else in film and TV. He eats more pizza than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.