ON HIS CHARACTER IN
THE LETTER FOR THE KING
“Tiuri is an underdog. He’s
a failed knight, an outcast in
Dagonaut. He doesn’t fit in as
he’s not originally fromthere.
At the trials you can see how
much he doesn’t suit all the
attributes of a stereotypical
knight, but I guess he does
have this bravery and courage
you need to become a knight;
that sends him on his mission.”ON WIELDING A SWORD
“Sword-fight training was the
death of me, but also the best
part of filming. We had a lot of
rehearsals with the stunt team
and we’d go over our fights so
many times. When it came to
filming, it was so fun that a
couple of times I had to be told
to stop laughing because I was
just enjoying myself too much
whilst fighting!”ON THE PEOPLE WHO LEFT HIM
THE MOST STARSTRUCK
“Andy Serkis or Colin Firth.
I loveKingsman,so I was so
excited to meet him. I played
it really cool in my mind, but
I think I probably didn’t show
that. I hope what was actually
going through my mind didn’t
come out.”ON THE ONE CHARACTER HE’D
WANT TO PLAY ONE DAY
“Maybe James Bond? I love
him so much. I know I’m still
young but that would be
a dream come true. I need
to bulk up a little...”
ELLA KEMPTHE LETTER FOR THE KING
IS ON NETFLIX NOWAmir Wilson
THE TALENTED BRITISH
ACTOR STARS IN NEW
FANTASY SERIESTHE LETTER
FOR THE KINGINTRODUCING...
Mandalorianunit photography by François Duhamel, SMPSP, and Melinda Sue Gordon, SMPSP, courtesy of Lucasfilm, Ltd. Daniel Prakopcyk/NetflixEVIEW
“It’s also about adaptability,” says Morin,
who points out that the technology lets directors
move mountains or add more hunk-of-junk
spaceships to the back of a shot on the fl y.
“Through the history of VFX, there’s been
a longing from fi lmmakers to see their visual
eff ects right there in front of them, the same way
they would see a live-action set. It’s a technical
revolution, but also just a case of bringing
fi lmmakers the tools they want to use.”
“It’s kind of the next step, technologically,
from front-projection, like 2001: A Space
Odyssey used,” Favreau tells Empire. “Just
behind the practical eff ects is actually a very,
very robust digital element where we’re
experimenting with innovative new technologies
that have never been used before.”
Nearly 100 fi lms and shows have used the
technology, most of which are still to be released,
says Morin. Matt Reeves’ The Batman is
Clockwise from
left: Unreal
Engine graphics
being used
to create an
immersive
environment on
the set of The
Mandalorian;
Beats working
with a tennis ball
on a stick; The
Mandalorian’s
Kuiil in front
of the giant
graphics screen.rumoured to be among them. “There’s lots
coming out that I can’t talk about but, well, it’s a
very exciting time, this transition of fi lmmakers
discovering a new process,” teases Morin. What
he will say is that the possibilities are endless for
uses of the technology: it’s already pioneering
ways for fans to step inside the worlds of their
favourite fi lms themselves, at interactive
experiences like Disneyland’s Star Wars area,
Galaxy’s Edge. “What’s happening now is a real
frontier being crossed.”
There was a time when making a VFX-heavy
blockbuster meant endless days in front of green
screens, staring at tennis balls and guessing at
what the environment behind you might
eventually look like. This, to paraphrase the
Mandalorian himself, was the way. Maybe not
anymore. AL HORNERTHE MANDALORIAN IS ON DISNEY+ NOWPRE