How The Mandalorian Director Bryce Dallas Howard Kept Her Kids Quiet About Baby Yoda

Once it comes to the pint-size ball of fluff that is The Mandalorian's Baby Yoda, it's hard to understand how we had no idea about the character ahead of release.


What with leaks, pre-release promotion, and the temptation to share something that you just know is going to be a massive surprise for Star Wars fan, it's a wonder Baby Yoda was ever able to be kept under wraps at all.


Luckily, The Mandalorian director and actress Bryce Dallas Howard worked extensively with her kids to prepare ensure the secret didn't slip out. Howard called the wait "agonizing," as it was a lot of trouble attempting to keep the hugest secret in media over the year.


"I’ve been walking around for the last year with a face like the cat that ate the canary," Howard told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview. "I’m so, so, so excited to be a segment of this and the phenomenon that Baby has become." Howard refers to Baby Yoda as simply "Baby," because (as you might have forgotten by right now, the small green child has no official name although, at least in terms of the episodes of The Mandalorian that have already aired.


Howard's biggest concern was how her kids would deal with knowing the big Star Wars secret that would eventually capture the entire of society's collective imagination.


"The thing I was most nervous about was that my kids had been on set a large amount Howard mentioned of there experience with "Baby." "


So, they had seen Baby and interacted with Baby. Any time we were filming, my kids were 6 and 11; they’re right now 7 and 12. As soon as the kids went back to school, almost every day I would mention, “So, what are you not gonna talk about today?” And so they would mention, “Baby!” I’d be like, “That’s right!” I would just routinely remind them that there’s no circumstance that could ever arise where they’re allowed to talk about Baby." It looks like the gag categorize worked out, because we were all blindsided by the adorable little creature.


right now, for them, it’s very confusing because I’m like, “Oh, right now, you could talk about Baby,” and they’re like, “Oh, okay.” We’ve been having this routine for about per year right now, and it’s fun; it’s really, really fun."


Howard is aware each person is irritated that there isn't enough Baby Yoda-shaped goodies to purchase, too.


each person is super pissed that there’s no merch. Each person is like, “I want a Baby Yoda stuffed toy!” Although, I think they made a good choice in not focusing there and just focusing on the storytelling." There really are a couple of shirts (and several toys coming up, also, however in general the selection is pretty bare.


However we can all agree on one thing: Baby Yoda was a secret that was well-kept in the end, and given the work that went into keeping him under wraps, we can only imagine what's still to come.