Following a years-long hiatus, the film branch of the Star Wars franchise is ramping up yet again, with the next movie to hit theaters being The Mandalorian and Grogu. Based on Jon Favreau’s acclaimed TV show, the flick is set to follow the titular characters as they set off on a new adventure. Early footage also suggests that in their travels, Din Djarin and his surrogate, Force-wielding son will cross paths with Rotta the Hutt, who’s voiced by Jeremy Allen White. Now, White is finally opening up about the role and how he landed it.
To say Jeremy Allen White is one of the most in-demand stars in Hollywood right now is putting it lightly. His latest film is Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere, which sees him play the one and only Bruce Springsteen. Despite Allen’s rising status, though, I still wouldn’t have predicted he’d join Mandalorian and Grogu, let alone as the voice of Jabba the Hutt’s son. White broke his silence on the gig while speaking with GMA (as seen on YouTube), and it apparently all came together due to a meeting with director and co-writer Favreau:
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 started talking about movies, and I was asking about Swingers. And he said, 'Would you like to come in and maybe talk to me about doing just a voice-over for Star Wars?' I said, 'I love Star Wars. I’d be so happy to' I discovered kind of in the moment almost the weight of the kind of character I was voicing.
The Iron Man helmer is indeed someone who knows talent, and he has no qualms about reaching out to actors he’d love to collaborate with. His work on Mandalorian is no different, as actors like Giancarlo Esposito and Sigourney Weaver (who’s also in the movie) have spoken about the filmmaker contacting them personally about working together. When it comes to White’s experience, it sounds like he’s enjoyed the opportunity to help bring a Star Wars character to life for the big screen:
It’s been a fun process. I came in to do the voice. They hadn’t filmed the movie yet. Then they made the movie, I came and did more. I’ll probably have to do a little bit more. I spoke to Pedro [Pascal] the other day, and I think he was doing some more work in the booth and seeing more of the film. I’m very excited. I’m very excited to take my kids to that one.
At this point, I’m already trying to imagine how the Bear star’s kids (and audiences as a whole) will react to seeing the muscular Hutt on the big screen. Rotta originally made his on-screen debut in the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars, during which he appeared as a Huttlet who’d been kidnapped by Asajj Ventress.
In the Star Wars timeline, Mandalorian and Grogu takes place decades after the events of The Clone Wars and the TV show it spawned, so it makes sense that Rotta has grown considerably since then. His exact role in the story is relatively unknown at this point, but I’m curious as to how he fits in. Of course, I’m also curious as to how White ultimately approaches the character from a performance standpoint. The Hutts not only have their own language, but their vocal tones can also be quite deep.
Jeremy Allen White is a talented performer, though, so I’m confident that he and Jon Favreau managed to find a voice that perfectly suited this version of the character. Barring any further reveals via additional trailers, fans will see and hear Rotta when The Mandalorian and Grogu blasts into theaters on May 22 amid the 2026 movie schedule. In the meantime, stream other Star Wars movies as well as TV shows using a Disney+ subscription.
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