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In new sentences no writer woke up out of bed expecting to write, The Bear star Jeremy Allen White has shared his experience playing Jabba the Hutt’s grown-up son in the upcoming Star Wars movie, The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Speaking on Good Morning America in promotion of his Bruce Springsteen biopic, White gave viewers some behind-the-scenes deets on what it was like to be a part of the Star Wars universe. A visibly tired Allen White (it is early in the morning, to be fair) responded in kind with a response just short of saying it was the most significant role he’s been gifted thus far.
“It was exciting. You know, it’s funny. I met Jon Favreau, who directed the film and the series prior, and I’ve been such a huge fan of Jon’s for a very long time. So we talked about movies, and I asked about Swingers,” White said, before weaving back into the whole Hutt of the matter. “And he said, ‘Would you like to come in and maybe talk to me about doing a voiceover for Star Wars?’ I said, ‘I love Star Wars; I’d be happy to.’ And then, in the moment, almost, I discovered the weight of the character I was voicing.”
Guess you can say White as Rotta is Hulu and Disney+’s brand syncopation at work.
Hilarious choice of words to end on about his character aside, White having the distinction of playing a character fans only knew prior from the 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film as a tiny little huttlet Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker had to babysit (who was almost exclusively referred to as Stinky) is oddly fascinating, seeing as how this will only be the second time fans have seen the character in any major capacity. What’s more, the character is swole as hell in the film. Evidently, the narrative reason behind Jabba’s asexually produced progeny (if I had to know this, so do you) being so jacked is because he’s become some sort of space gladiator in the wake of his dad’s death, as was seen in the brief glimpse we got of him in the film’s trailer.
Speaking further, White revealed that when he came into the booth to voice Rotta, Lucasfilm hadn’t filmed the movie yet. However, after they made the movie, White said he came back in to record more lines alongside Pedro Pascal.
“I’m very excited to take my kids to see that one,” White said. “I think it’s gonna be really fun.”
Fans will soon get to find out for themselves whether The Mandalorian and Grogu will deliver on the fun when it releases in theaters on May 22, 2026.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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