The Mandalorian: Why Timothy Olyphant Preferred Working With The Jawas Over Grogu - Exclusive

This interview was conducted prior to the beginning of the SAG-AFTRA strike.

There have been so many highlights in Timothy Olyphant's career to date, from starring in "Scream 2" to working with Steven Soderbergh on the forthcoming TV mini-series "Full Circle." Currently, Olyphant is reprising his role as Deputy U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens on "Justified: City Primeval," a continuation of the beloved neo-Western crime drama "Justified," which originally wrapped in 2015. The follow-up series sees Givens working in Detroit as he attempts to stop the Oklahoma Wildman, all while raising a teenage daughter.

Olyphant is also known for his guest star arc on "The Mandalorian," and it's clear that the actor loved his time in the Star Wars Universe. "I had a ball working with those guys, specifically [Jon] Favreau and Dave [Filoni]," Olyphant told Looper. "Those guys are class acts, and they're doing really cool work, so it was nice to be part of it." During our exclusive interview, Timothy Olyphant revealed what it was like working on "The Mandalorian" — and though that meant sharing scenes with Grogu, he admitted he preferred filming with the Jawas.

While Grogu is the breakout star of "The Mandalorian," Timothy Olyphant's attention was elsewhere when he starred on the series. "Baby Yoda — with all due respect, it was fun to work with him, he was a class act, but doing a scene with the Jawas was the most exciting," Olyphant told Looper. "That was a throwback to my childhood." 

Much like the rest of us, Olyphant grew up watching the original "Star Wars" trilogy, and as a result, he was overwhelmed by getting to act opposite the Jawas in particular. "I don't think it occurred to me how special it was until that moment," he said of his time on the show. "I had a little bit of a pinch myself moment where I realized, 'Oh my God, this is my whole childhood, and quite possibly why I'm an actor.'" The moment was made even more important when Olyphant realized that it was quite an honor to work with the Jawas. According to him, Dave Filoni noted that the star was lucky to have had the chance to work with the Jawas, as it was quite a rarity for actors to have done so. "It's a privileged group," Olyphant said.

"Justified: City Primeval" airs on FX Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT, and the episodes are streaming the next day on Hulu.