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When you’re designing a costume for something like Star Wars, the most important thing is always to make sure that it looks really cool. However, somewhere along the line, we’d like to think that the actor’s comfort should be a consideration. That didn’t seem to be the case for Manny Jacinto when he donned the persona of The Stranger in Star Wars: The Acolyte; according to the actor, that helmet was a horrible thing to wear.

When asked at a panel at Star Wars Celebration 2025 what it was like to wear the helmet of The Stranger in Star Wars: The Acolyte, Manny Jacinto immediately responded with “Horrible.” He let that linger in the room for a few seconds before he elaborated. “Yeah. I mean, as cool as it looks, it’s not conducive for fighting. I can’t breathe. I can’t see. You know, injuring and tripping over anything and everything, but I mean, it was worth it, I think.”

It certainly does take away from some of the gravitas of The Stranger, who served as the big villain when he was revealed in Episode Five of the Acolyte, to imagine him stumbling around on set, tripping over everything and struggling to breathe. However, it also makes Manny Jacinto’s performance that much more impressive. Being able to pull off those big fight scenes while blind and slowly suffocating is incredible. Clearly, the man has gone through some sort of Jedi training of his own to fight like that. We can’t even go to the bathroom at night without stubbing our toe.

Get to know, understand, and love the Star Wars franchise more with our Star Wars watch order, guide to all the upcoming Star Wars movies & TV shows, and all the Star Wars movies and Star Wars TV shows ranked.