Fans were pleasantly surprised when Lizzo appeared in season 3 episode 6 of The Mandalorian on Wednesday night with a special guest by her side. When asked about how this special occasion came about, series creator Jon Favreau explained that it was simply because of his kids.
Lizzo played the forever-smiling Duchess of Plazir-15, and viewers were also treated to a cameo appearance by Jack Black, who played her husband, the very cheerful Captain Bombardier. The Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal) and Bo-Katan (Katee Sackhoff) visits Plazir-15 to assist the Duchess and the Captain with a droid issue they are having. According to EW, Favreau sat down with them at Star Wars Celebration to talk about how this came to be.
“We got Lizzo and Jack Black involved because, honestly, one of the things that we really like about working on the show is we like to bring in people who are fans themselves. Lizzo and Jack Black both were very active on social media. I know Jack from way back, but he was posting and doing Mandalorian things on either Instagram or TikTok. And Lizzo was dressing up like Grogu. And my kids were showing me all these videos of how into it Lizzo was.”
Choosing the right roles for Lizzo and Black seemed to come together with perfect timing, “As we were figuring it out, we had an episode that was going to have this really eccentric royal couple in a court that felt like something out of Alice in Wonderland. And we reached out and they were like, ‘We’d love to!'”
Talk about being a fan, Lizzo herself posted on her Instagram on April 6, 2023, that her father got her into Star Wars and that she wished he could have seen her on the show. In an emotional outpouring, Lizzo writes, “I cried all day wishing my dad was still with us cus he’d be so proud. Star Wars was a dream I never thought was possible— but thanks to Jon, Bryce, and everyone in the galaxy I am now part of the ever-expanding saga of the stars.”
Bryce Dallas Howard, the daughter of Ron Howard, directed the episode—that’s the class that Lizzo brings to the table. Giving credit where credit is due, the American rapper-turned-actress gave a huge shoutout to Favreau and Howard for making her a part of the Star Wars universe. However, it was the kids who brought Lizzo the Star Wars fan to Dad’s attention. They deserve a little shoutout themselves.
The Mandalorian airs on Wednesday nights on Disney+ and can be streamed any time for those viewers who may have missed this very special episode.