The latest episode of The Mandalorian introduced Gina Carano as the former Rebel Alliance shock trooper Cara Dune, who quickly proved to be a formidable warrior equal to the eponymous bounty hunter.
According to episode director Bryce Dallas Howard, Carano -- who came from a background as a mixed martial artist -- was more than a match for the Disney+ series stunt team. In addition to outpacing Pedro Pascal's stunt double, one take in a choreographed fight sequence resulted in Carano sending one stuntman flying across the set by the sheer force from one of her blows.
"There was one take in the raider camp with all the vats, and let me preface this by saying that Gina is very, very adept at doing stunt choreography and not hurting anyone she’s working with," Howard explained in an interview with Variety. "But that one take she kicked someone, it was totally planned, but there was more contact than usual and from where I was standing looking at the monitor, I thought there was a wire on the guy. He went flying back, I thought it was a gag. I asked, 'Who put a wire on that guy?' And people said that wasn’t a wire, that was the force of Gina’s kick."
With Dune becoming a reluctant ally to the Mandalorian, it is unknown what role Dune will play in the remainder of the season. However, judging by her debut, Dune hasn't lost a step since the end of the galactic civil war.
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte. A new episode arrives each Friday on Disney+.