From a young age, DOMINIC PACE was already – like many – completely hooked on the world of STAR WARS, and dreams of harnessing a blaster in a space adventure consumed him. Years later, and after a successful make-up test, he went on to live out his imagination as bounty hunter Gekko in the gripping space western THE MANDALORIAN! We find out from the man himself what this incredible journey has been like….
STARBURST: How did you end up becoming involved in the world of Star Wars?
Dominic Pace: First and foremost I’d been a lifelong fan. If you check my IMDb I’ve been a twenty-plus year character actor veteran. With that being said, I’m a blue-collar actor, a working man’s actor, and I take every opportunity that I can. Work can be scarce depending on what time of year it is, depending on the momentum and flow of it. I’ve been so fortunate to have so many guest and co-starring roles. This happened to be a simple make-up test. I had experience with a prosthetics team in the past, through Will Kemp from the UK, he played the Wolf Man in Van Helsing. I photo-doubled, years ago, for Frankenstein, with Hugh Jackman, and my friend Will Kemp. So I have a little bit of prosthetics experience. I was invited in by a company called Legacy Effects. They are one of the most prestigious make-up companies in the world. They’ve been in the charge of Marvel, Disney, DC, Star Wars, etc. I had a six-hour make-up test, and I just so happened to hit it off with the make-up artist, Brian Sipe. Brian is one of the heads at Legacy Effects, and he actually worked with Dave Bautista through all of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. He did the costume and prosthetics for Drax. He could never use the same mould twice. Long story short – too late [laughs] – I get invited to this project called Huckleberry, two weeks after the make-up test. There was no talk about what the project was. I go into the wardrobe room, it had a very secret feel, through the offices and the set. I walk in, and I see my name on a clothing rack. It says Dominic Pace, bounty hunter. You have to imagine, I’d been a Star Wars fan since I was five years old. So to have that, it was very special, and very meaningful to me in so many ways. It’s one thing to have an acting accolade, it’s another thing to be part of the Star Wars universe. To be your own, unique, one of a kind, bounty hunter. For me, this opportunity for those ten days while on set, was absolutely priceless, and it’s something that I’ll never forget. I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be immortalised in canon. Within the Star Wars universe.
Can you introduce your character, bounty hunter Gekko? Who is he, and how does he fit into The Mandalorian?
He’s part of the bounty hunter guild. He is featured throughout episodes one and three. He is part of a very crucial stand-off in the third episode, and he is the right-hand man to Greef Karga, played by Carl Weathers. You can see him throughout the cantina in episode one, the cantina in episode three, and the stand-off that I just mentioned.
What was it like to be on a Star Wars set?
It was absolutely priceless. What made it even more special, on the first day, walking into the cantina, none other than George Lucas was there with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni! For me, I just needed a second to breathe, as it was an overwhelming experience. Everything that had inspired me to become an actor was right there. I know that Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson have stories of choosing their own lightsaber, and as a bounty hunter, I got to choose my own blaster! There’s about twenty blasters at the prop table, and they allowed me to choose my own. I just wish that every Star Wars fan had an opportunity like this. To be able to choose your own weapon, in this beloved universe, was just second to none. An experience that I’ll never ever forget.
Leading on from that, can you tell us about what directors Deborah Chow and Dave Filoni, and creator Jon Favreau himself were like to work with?
It was a constant pull, and gentle pressure. You hear stories in Hollywood about Michael Bay, James Cameron, where there might be yelling and screaming. With these three, it was just such pleasantry, from start to finish. They were in control, and they knew what they wanted. At the same time they never put across a frantic feel on set. Everybody really knew what they were doing. There were no arguments or conflict. Everyone was on the same page, and it was just such a great feeling to be around. Another factor is that, not only for myself, but I think you had a good amount of the crew and the cast feeling like they were part of something very special. To be a part of that, was really amazing. Day in, day out. There was no tension at all, no ego. No shouting or yelling. You had commanders that were in control. If you were part of a naval ship, you’d want these people to be in control of your life, because from start to finish they had such great composure.
When it comes to the actors, can you tell us what it was like to work alongside Carl Weathers and Brendan Wayne to name just a few?
I’m an Italian American, and obviously one of the greatest film series in American history is Rocky. Carl was a major part of that. In terms of what that film shows, it’s not just about fighting, it’s about fighting for the struggle. Which, as a blue-collar actor, I relate to, as you have to fight for every opportunity that you receive in this time. So to be alongside him, and to be his left-hand man, during a pivotal scene in episode three meant so much to me. The man has such a stage presence, and it’s very inspirational. I believe he’s 70 years old, but you’d never be able to tell, because of his high energy, and presence. Even at the fifteenth hour. Brendan Wayne, the grandson of John Wayne, was in that outfit the entire time I was on set. I know that Pascal is the face of The Mandalorian, however, Brendan Wayne really deserves credit, as he was there through all the grunt work within that costume. He deserves all of the respect and admiration of the fanbase.
Stars Wars is known for its huge costume/puppet workshop. What was the make-up/costume process like for Gekko?
I was very humbled. Initially, they had to rush me to the set on day one, and they could not find the mouthpiece to my costume. I did not want to go without the oxygen mask. You would ask most actors, and they’d say that they’d want their face to be seen, but for me, I felt that the depth and darkness of a bounty hunter would be more layered, as opposed to his bare face. Which I did not really care for. I was based on this character that had been made two years prior, a female model called Gekko, that was the make-up, and the prosthetic inspiration. The Gekko head was originally two bumps on the top of his head, and when I did the screen test I had these two bumps, then a couple of the other bounty hunters were giggling. I said, “What’s the matter?”. They said that I look pretty awesome, but it looks like there’s breasts on my head! So, I go to Brian – who is so down to earth, genuine, calm and collected – I said: “Brian, I’m not a star, and I’m no place to say this, but for the love of God, Gekko would look really cool if you could change the prosthetics to horns”. He thought about it for a minute with David and Jon, and of course, it wasn’t my decision. I just suggested it to him. Thank God! That Monday, he changed the bumps on the original Gekko to horns. When it came to picking the blaster, being six foot four, and 260 pounds, I wanted to pick the biggest blaster! If he was going to be an action figure, I just wanted to make sure that he had the biggest blaster you could imagine! So I was very excited about that. I have these big gauntlets on my arm, which I like to think give him a bigger deflector shield than just the shielding from his forearms, almost like Wonder Woman. These gauntlets are so big that they can create a shield around him. To protect himself. I’m hopeful in terms of fan fiction, and with the upcoming Kenobi series, that Gekko is given one of the assignments to perhaps pursue Luke. Deborah Chow, who is also directing Kenobi, knows Gekko. I’m hopeful that the character will continue to be a part of canon. He didn’t die after episode three. I’m very excited for the future of Gekko, however, either way, every Star Wars fan would admit, that just to get a little taste of their lifelong dream come true is enough. Regardless of whether I return or not, I can’t tell you how grateful I am to Lucasfilm and Disney for this opportunity.
What was the most rewarding scene for you to work on?
Ultimately, to just be a character in the universe. The most rewarding aspect of it was to not only be in the Star Wars universe, but to be in a scene where there’s action. For every Star Wars fan growing up, you didn’t want to be a character that just sits in the bar, you wanted to carry a blaster, you wanted to have a little bit of gusto. A little bit of action. So that for me was priceless. So I got to have some action with the character, which meant so much to me. It was like returning to my childhood, and that made it very special.
What was it actually like for you to see your character on screen, for the first time?
I’m not a drinker, but I got a text from a Twitter friend that they’d seen me in the trailer for the first time. You see this moment in the trailer where Greef Karga says, “They are all jealous of you.” It has this really cool pan of me, and two other bounty hunters, staring at him in disdain. At that time, I needed a little shot of scotch! I’m not going to lie, as it was really very overwhelming! This featured acting aspect meant more to me than any of my other credits in my entire career. Just because of how special to me it was as a child. I’m going to get a Gekko tattoo on my shoulder because that is how much Star Wars has meant to me throughout the course of my life.
The Mandalorian has already received an incredible response; why do you personally think it’s done so well, and for you, what do you think is so special about it?
I think that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni understand that it comes back to caring about the characters. They are also die hard fans. The reason why Star Wars is important is because it always comes back to relationships, the parallels of life which we relate to. If you just do a generic sci-fi movie, with some eye candy, I couldn’t care less. What makes films like Harry Potter special? It’s the relationships. I think that Filoni and Favreau understand this formula, and I think that they’re bringing this to us first hand. They are so talented, and they know what makes Star Wars magic.
UK readers can watch episodes of THE MANDALORIAN as they air weekly on Disney+
