The hilarious reason why Bill Burr landed his ‘Star Wars’ role
Bill Burr has been at the forefront of American comedy for a while now, widely admired for his comedic style, which is fuelled by uncontrollable rage. Routinely regarded as a “comedian’s comedian”, Burr has garnered a massive online following due to his blatant disregard for political correctness.
In addition to his stand-up comedy routines, Burr has also worked on TV shows such as F Is for Family and Vince Gilligan’s vastly influential series Breaking Bad among others. Recently, Burr also landed a prominent role on Disney’s immensely popular series called The Mandalorian, which is based in the Star Wars universe.
One of the major reasons why Burr landed the role of Migs Mayfield – a mercenary – in The Mandalorian was because of his outspoken criticism against the cultural impact of Star Wars. On multiple occasions, Burr had attacked the cultural obsession with Star Wars, which is why the casting team thought it would be hilarious to hire him.
During a conversation, Burr once explained his dislike for the franchise. He said: “This is the thing, I’ve never been a sci-fi — I like Blade Runner, there was a movie Sam Rockwell did called Moon. I like that sort of dark, creepy, Stanley Kubrick [2001: A Space Odyssey], I like that, I was never into the Star Wars thing.”
The comedian added: “By the time I saw it, I was just too old, they had like Ewoks and stuff, and I wanted to see Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I missed the boat so I never got on it and I’ve religiously made fun of every one of them that came out. Just teasing — just because people are excited. I’m a jerk, you know? I see people get excited about something and I just make fun of it.”
The Mandalorian’s creator, Jon Favreau, believed that casting Burr would draw the attention of viewers since the comedian’s comments on Star Wars had already gained traction on social media. The show turned out to be a bonafide cultural phenomenon, becoming one of the most streamed works of that year.
When Favreau approached Burr, the comedian aired his reservations, but he did admit that he was excited to be a part of something as huge as a Disney+ Star Wars series. It seems like his character has resonated with both his fan base and the Star Wars fandom since it mirrors his own sardonic comedic style.
