By George & Josh Bate
Ever since Darth Vader haunted the hallways of the Tantive IV in the original Star Wars, some of cinema’s most iconic and instantly recognizable villains have featured in a galaxy far, far away. This summer, The Mandalorian and Grogu hit theaters, marking Star Wars’ return to theaters after a seven-year absence and the big screen debut of a new kind of Star Wars villain.
The HoloFiles and Star Wars Holocron recently had the opportunity to interview Jonny Coyne, who plays Lord Janu Coin in The Mandalorian and Grogu, about his experience working on the new movie, the story behind playing a character whose name so closely resembles his own, plans to feature in The Mandalorian Season 4 and The Book of Boba Fett, and more.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, Jonny Coyne arrives in a galaxy far, far away with a sturdy filmography of television and film behind him. After playing roles in a variety of British television series, Coyne made the leap across the Atlantic and went on to star in the likes of Preacher, The Blacklist, Alcatraz, Turn: Washington’s Spies, Gotham, 11.22.63, The Night Of, and Twin Peaks.
In 2023, Coyne joined the vast Star Wars universe when he appeared as an unnamed Imperial Warlord in The Mandalorian Season 3’s Chapter 23: The Spies. Coyne’s appearance was brief, which made confirmation that he would star as one of the major characters in The Mandalorian and Grogu’s leap to the big screen somewhat of a surprise. Even more of a surprise was that Coyne would go on to play one of the film’s primary antagonists.
In our interview, Coyne reflected on how such a prominent role in a big-budget Star Wars movie may shape his future. “I’ve never had any expectations of anything in my career,” Coyne said. “I’ve always put my head down and just kept working as much as I can and as often as I can and on as varied of things as I can. There’s a lot of talk when you do a Star Wars that somehow it’s going to elevate you to another platform. I don’t think necessarily it happens like that. For somebody like me especially, who’s of the older generation, I think. If anything happens after this, that’s fine. But all I know is that I’ve been working as an actor for 40 odd plus years and I’ve done a huge amount of work and varied work and [I am] very proud of a lot of it [and] dismissive of some of it. We just keep going, and if something good comes out of it, it’s great. All I know is I’ve done a Star Wars movie. You know, not everybody can say that.”
Coyne revealed that The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau has long had plans for his character, dating all the way back to production of Season 3 back in 2021. While filming Season 3, Coyne explained, “Jon Favreau said to me, pulled me to the side, said, ‘Okay, so we’ve got a lot of things in store for you.’”
One of the things in store for Coyne’s character was giving a name. But not just any name. Coyne would soon learn that he would a rare distinction in the Star Wars universe – he would play a character whose name is a variation of his own. Ahmed Best played Achk Med-Beq in Attack of the Clones, for instance. Ralph McQuarrie played Rebel officer Pharl McQuarrie in The Empire Strikes Back. And now Jonny Coyne plays Janu Coin in The Mandalorian and Grogu.
Coyne explained that Favreau approached him on the set of The Mandalorian and said, “One of [the things] we’d like to do is use your name in some way. And he says, ‘Perhaps something like Commander Coin or something,’ and I went, ‘Okay, that’s interesting. That’s kind of nice. I kind of like that.’ And, to be honest with you, when I first came to LA, I had a group of friends, American friends, who all gave each other nicknames, and my nickname, by coincidence, was Commander Coin.”
Favreau had grand plans for the warlord Commander Coin, using his brief appearance in Season 3 as the basis for subsequent appearances in The Mandalorian Season 4 and possibly a second season of The Book of Boba Fett. “That was part of the deal,” Coyne explained. “They said, ‘We’d like you do this [for] three or four episodes, and we’re considering possibly using one of those episodes for Boba Fett. And that’s all I got from that.””
Coyne’s comments stand out as they confirm that Favreau and Lucasfilm were, at one point, considering a second season of The Book of Boba Fett. The first season was met with mixed reception when it premiered in 2021 and concluded in 2022. Boba Fett has yet to make another appearance in live-action. Seemingly, however, conversations have been had behind the scenes about what another chapter in The Book of Boba Fett could look like.
Contrary to many big-budget blockbusters that undergo extensive reshoots, The Mandalorian and Grogu did not appear to have excessive postproduction filming, at least for Coyne’s scenes. “There was nothing cut from my scenes,” Coyne revealed.
Janu Coin represents the latest in a long string of articulate, calculated Imperial villains that tormented the protagonists of Star Wars stories. Peter Cushing’s Moff Tarkin was a formidable threat to Princess Leia and the Rebels in A New Hope. Ben Mendelsohn’s Director Krennic defended the interests of the Empire in both Rogue One and Andor. Lars Mikkelsen’s Grand Admiral Thrawn plagues the likes of Ahsoka and Ezra as he attempts to rebuild the Empire.
Interestingly, Coyne revealed that he did not draw influence from other actors who have portrayed Imperial leaders in previous Star Wars projects. “I don’t see myself amongst those people,” Coyne said. “I see myself as another actor who got lucky. I didn’t lean on any of those guys for a character.”
Coyne went on to tell a story that offers a peek behind the curtain of his acting philosophy. “I think I once spoke to an actress friend of mine who was struggling with a part, and she said, I don’t know what they want from me. And I had to formalize an answer for her when she texted me this question. And as I was formalizing the answer, I was realizing this is what I was doing. I said to her, ‘Look, they cast you because you have an essence. You have a quality about you that they want to use. I don’t think you have to walk in there with a limp, or a twitch, or something. You are the essence that they’ve hired and so just do what you do, deliver the lines like you do with the honesty it requires, and that’s what they’re paying for. And that in itself will be unique in itself because you are a unique person.’”
Coyne’s final scene in The Mandalorian and Grogu sees his character brought before Sigourney Weaver’s Colonel Ward and apprehended by the New Republic. Coyne explored the possibility that this is not the last we’ve seen of Janu Coin. “I’d like to think that Jon has actually left it open so that I can come back, or that there is the option that I can come back,” Coyne remarked. “I think that’s more the reality of it, rather than then we’ll come back. There’s an option there. We can use Jonny if there is going to be a second [The Mandalorian and Grogu]. And hey, why kill off somebody who we like? And maybe we’ll use them in something else.”
In speaking with Coyne, it is remarkable just how grounded he is. The same man who just played a prominent role in a live-action Star Wars movie and who, according to Jon Favreau, “can be signing your name for the rest of your life” approaches acting and the film industry more generally with an admirable humility and sincerity.
When asked what advice he would give to other actors hoping to break into the industry, Coyne had some poignant words. “Listen, just put your head down and keep working through the grim times,” he said. “And there are a lot of grim times. Just keep working. Just grab everything you can while you can….Just love what you do and, if you stop loving it, there’s the door. Just go. I mean, you have to love it, because it’s a miserable life when it’s not, when you’re not making money, and you’re not doing what you love.”
For as villainous as he is on screen as Janu Coin in The Mandalorian and Grogu, Jonny Coyne couldn’t be more dissimilar. The English actor whose filmography is vast, varied, and continues to grow just stood toe-to-toe with two of pop culture’s most beloved figures and shows no sign of stopping.
Watch our full interview with The Mandalorian and Grogu star Jonny Coyne below….
