This is the way. Whether you’re a diehard Star Wars fan, have a massive crush on Pedro Pascal (TBH, who doesn’t?), or just love Baby Yoda, then you’ve probs been keeping up with the latest season of The Mandalorian which has included some serious surprises so far. (Hello, Lizzo!)

With the season finale dropping tomorrow, we chatted with actress Emily Swallow (she/her) who plays none other than mysterious and bada*s The Armorer.

Keep reading to hear about Emily’s experience on Broadway before hitting the big screen, whether Supernatural or Star Wars stans are more enthusiastic, and what it’s really like working with Pedro.

Can you tell us a bit about your career before The Mandalorian?
Before entering the TV industry, I went to NYU grad, got my MFA, then started doing regional theater in NY. I loved theater so much, and naively was like, “Why would I ever want to do television?” Then I realized it was going to be really hard to make a living as a theater actor [laughing]. So, once I started doing television, I found that even though I missed having the rehearsal process, the different styles of collaborations, and the live audience, there are stories that you can tell on film that you just can’t tell on stage. Plus, the process involves other elements of creation that you can’t have in theater either. I really love all mediums, though.

What’s been your most memorable production so far?
It was a play called Nice Fish that Mark Rylance co-authored with a poet named Louis Jenkins. Mark has long been one of my favorite actors, so to get the chance to work with him was a dream come true. I played the Goddess Freyja from Norse mythology, who was one of the few gods and goddesses stranded on a frozen lake in the middle of winter in the Midwest, later discovered by 2 Podunk ice fishermen. As you can imagine, chaos ensued shortly after. It was so much fun!

Speaking of gods and goddesses, you also played The Darkness on Supernatural. Which fandom is more enthusiastic: SPNFamily or Star Wars fans?
They’re both incredibly enthusiastic and passionate. I feel like the Supernatural fandom is a little more protective, though. But that could also be because I was a villain for my introduction to the show, and as I’m often reminded, I got to kiss Dean [played by Jensen Ackles]. And as I have to remind other people, I only kissed him once. I’m so glad it didn’t happen again because I think that could have been my downfall [laughing].

Now to your character, The Armorer. She’s mysterious, she’s a leader, she’s a style icon. Is there anyone like her that you know IRL?
There are, and sometimes I don’t realize it until after the fact. When we were shooting the first couple of episodes, one of the directors I was working with was Deborah Chow who just has that air about her. She is somebody who commands a room not by forcing everyone to listen to her, but by trusting that you will listen to her. She’s very intelligent, gives you the benefit of the doubt, takes care of you, and has the good of everyone else at the front of her mind.

There’s plenty of other women in my life who I sort of pick and choose to take inspiration from as well. They’re people from my own faith practice, teachers, and individuals who don’t force things on you, but who allow you to discover things on your own, and I think that that’s so integral to my character. She’s the leader of this group of people, but she allows everyone to come to their own understanding. Whenever I get to spend time with The Armorer, I feel like it improves my life because it sort of grounds me. I tend to get less anxious, and try to borrow more and more from her as I go.

And finally, we have to ask about Pedro. Is he the biggest, most lovable goofball ever?
He’s wonderful. I actually know him from long ago in NY when we were doing theater with all the same people. I always loved running into him at bars and getting to have post-show conversations with him, too. And it was such a comfort to me when he popped up on The Mentalist when I was there, because he brought such joy to that set. Then to get to work with him on this show and to know, especially because I’m playing scenes to a helmet, that the person underneath it is this wonderful, warm human being is so helpful. He really cares about his work, so I’m very happy that the fans respond to him the way that they do.