Gina Carano -- who plays ex-Rebel Alliance member Cara Dune on Disney+'s The Mandalorian -- has explained how the Star Wars television series has given her a sense of belonging in an industry where she has long felt like an outsider.
Before pursuing a career in acting, Carano was an accomplished Mixed Martial Arts fighter, at one point even being dubbed the "face of women's MMA" -- a title she later renounced. Prior to landing the role of Cara Dune, she appeared in such films as 2011's Haywire, 2013's Fast & Furious 6 and 2016's Deadpool.
That being said, Carano confesses many of the roles she landed over the years weren't really the ones she wanted for herself -- and she was worried it had something to do with her body type. "There was a point in my life where it was like, I don't know if want to be in movies anymore, because I don't want to bring them down; I don't know if I'm good enough for them," Carano told Refinery29. "When I tell people I'm an actress, they're like, 'Do you do stunts?' because I don't look like the average actress -- I'm not a sample size. I remember I'm normal, but I just don't feel like I look like what an actress should look like. I've always had these big legs, big thighs."
With that in mind, Carano explains The Mandalorian and Cara Dune have helped her find her place in an industry where she hasn't always felt particularly welcomed. "I've been pretty much like a loner walking my own path and carving my own way and just finding my way around in this business," she said. "This feels incredible because I've never really, really belonged anywhere."
Created by Jon Favreau, The Mandalorian stars Pedro Pascal, Gina Carano, Carl Weathers, Giancarlo Esposito, Emily Swallow, Omid Abtahi, Werner Herzog and Nick Nolte.