Star Wars has always used the alien-populated margins of its galaxy for unexpected celebrity casting, hiding established talent behind CGI models and meticulously constructed puppets. Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is no different, with The Bear‘s leading star, Jeremy Allen White, lending his voice to Rotta the Hutt, the son of Jabba. Sadly, White’s voice was so heavily modified for the role that it’s hard to recognize the star in the role, unless you are aware of his casting. That’s not the only major Hollywood name that got a surprising role in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, though, as filmmaking legend Martin Scorsese plays one of the movie’s best aliens.
Scorsese appears in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu as the voice of Hugo Durant, a four-armed Ardennian food vendor operating a street cart on the planet Shakari. When Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) approaches the establishment for information regarding his latest bounty, Hugo delivers rapid-fire exposition with a distinct New York accent, pointedly warning the Mandalorian about the deadly consequences of being a snitch in the criminal underworld. The Oscar-winning director voices an Ardennian fry cook in two early scenes that last only a couple of minutes. However, the character is way more complex than what his reduced screen time would suggest.
While the name of Scorsese’s character isn’t said aloud in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, the credits and soundtrack listings confirm the food vendor is called Hugo Durant. The first name “Hugo” is likely a nod to Scorsese’s 2011 movie of the same name, his adventure centered on a Parisian orphan who uncovers the legacy of cinema pioneer Georges Méliès. Meanwhile, the surname connects Hugo to Rio Durant, the fast-talking Ardennian first introduced in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Rio was the first of the alien species to debut in the franchise, voiced by Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu‘s John Favreau. Favreau confirmed the surname connection was intentional in a Fandango interview, saying, “I gave our characters the same last name. So, our characters are related in theory.”
Beyond Star Wars canon, Shakari, the planet where Hugo appears, was designed as a 1920s gangster world, its neon-lit streets and criminal infrastructure evoking the urban scenery from Scorsese’s early filmography, particularly Taxi Driver, Mean Streets, and After Hours. Plus, Hugo’s profession seems to be a direct nod to Favreau’s Chef, a movie about a restaurant cook who walks away from institutional kitchens for the freedom of a food truck. Even the way Hugo prepares a sandwich in Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu riffs the modus operandi of Favreau’s protagonist in Chef. Given how Scorsese acts as a mentor figure for Favreau, it’s interesting that Hugo carries nods to both directors’ filmography.
Finally, Scorsese and George Lucas both emerged from the New Hollywood movement of the 1970s, a generation of filmmakers that challenged studio structures in favor of author-driven storytelling. That means, at first glance, it makes perfect sense for Scrocese to make a cameo in the galaxy far, far away. However, while Star Wars was born of Lucas’ desire to tell a story in which he believed, when few others did, Star Wars has since become a major blockbuster franchise that has been mostly dictated by studios prerrogatives. In 2019, Scorsese sparked controversy when he compared Marvel’s billion-dollar franchise to theme parks, saying their films are “not cinema.” It’s curious, then, that one of his few credits in front of the screen has come exactly in the kind of corporate multimedia universe he once criticized.
Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu is now playing in theaters and IMAX worldwide.
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