page_title: The Client (Star Wars)
section_title: Portrayal
hierarchical_section_title: The Client (Star Wars) / Portrayal
caption_attribution_description: English: Jon Favreau at The Jungle Book Premiere in Sydney at Event Cinema, George Street.
context_page_description: The Client is a fictional character in the Star Wars franchise who appears in the Disney+ television series The Mandalorian. He is a mysterious and unnamed agent of a remnant of the former Galactic Empire, and plays a key role in setting the show's story into motion by hiring the bounty hunter known as the Mandalorian to track down a young alien creature known only as "the Child".
  The Client is portrayed by German film director, screenwriter, and actor Werner Herzog, who was recruited for the part by series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau. Herzog accepted the role in part to help finance his film Family Romance, LLC. Herzog was not familiar with Favreau's previous work, nor had he ever seen a Star Wars film, but was impressed with the screenplays for The Mandalorian as well as the filmmaking style of the show.
  Herzog particularly enjoyed filming scenes with the animatronic puppet of The Child, subsequently strongly urging Favreau to solely use the puppet for the character and not computer-generated imagery as had originally been intended for later scenes, calling them "cowards" for considering using CGI in its place.
context_section_description: The Client is portrayed in The Mandalorian by German film director, screenwriter, and actor Werner Herzog. He was recruited for the part by series creator and showrunner Jon Favreau. Herzog believed Favreau approached him out of appreciation for his acting abilities, and also because Favreau saw a "kindred spirit" in him. Herzog said: "I think it's a bit of an homage to my films and to my storytelling and to my way of putting emphasis on world stories, fever dreams in the jungle, quasi-science fiction stories." Herzog also believed Favreau wanted him because "they needed somebody who would spread terror, and be frightening for the audience", which he felt he could do. It took Herzog less than one minute after meeting Favreau to be drawn to the project, later saying of the conversation: "I saw the universe. I saw costumes. I saw the round horizon. I saw the spacecraft. I saw an entire universe. And I knew this was really big." However, he requested full screenplays from The Mandalorian before formally accepting the role. After reading them, he felt the part "looked good and interesting".
  Herzog accepted the role in part to help fund a film he was writing and directing called Family Romance, LLC (2019), which he financed himself after struggling to find traditional Hollywood financing. At the time he accepted the part on The Mandalorian, Herzog was not familiar with any other films Favreau had previously made, nor had he before seen any Star Wars films. He said of the franchise: "I've seen some trailers, I've seen some excerpts here and there. I know about the whole franchise and about the toys for the kids." Herzog was briefed about the franchise and its storyline by Favreau and members of the crew. He felt his lack of familiarity with Star Wars had no impact on his performance, saying "I knew what was expected of me. I knew the interior landscape of the character and I knew the exterior landscape." Herzog believed portraying the Client was similar to his performance as the antagonist in the action thriller film Jack Reacher (2012).
  Rumors about Herzog's role on The Mandalorian first surfaced on the Internet in October 2018. His casting was formally announced on December 12, 2018. Footage of The Client was first publicly unveiled at the Star Wars Celebration convention in Chicago on April 14, 2019, during which the entirety of his first scene in the premiere episode was shown. The Client was also featured prominently in the first official trailer for The Mandalorian, released on August 23, 2019, where he was the only character with a speaking role. Much of Herzog's dialogue was also utilized as voice-over narration for a second Mandalorian trailer released on October 28, 2019.
caption: Werner Herzog was recruited for the part of The Client by The Mandalorian creator and showrunner Jon Favreau.
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