Interview: Dominic Pace, Gekko from The Mandalorian

A little over two years since the release of The Mandalorian, “Gekko” actor Dominic Pace has continued to rise in popularity amongst Star Wars fans from around the world. Despite the ever-changing conditions created by the pandemic, Dominic has successfully completed a second national tour, helping numerous small businesses around the US and providing fans with the rare opportunity to gather for some Star Wars fun. This year, Dominic has achieved his biggest milestone yet since becoming a Star Wars actor and we are fortunate to hear about it here first. Despite his mounting successes, Dominic remains ever the humble gentleman who routinely puts others before himself and the Star Wars community is all the better for it.

FT – I feel this might be a good first question to ask each time we chat: How has your appearance on The Mandalorian continued to impact your life?

DP – I think the greatest impact from it was the opportunity to gain friends and fellow Star Wars fans all over the world. So many great friendships have been bonded not only through social media, but also through my 50,000 mile journey/campaign with the character. So many generous souls where we were able to make such a strong connection. “Gekko” represents humility with a humble beginning as we were not even credited. The fans and friends who came out saw someone who was trying and creating an opportunity. That created a solid foundation of friendships with real, non pretentious people as they weren’t coming to see some big celebrity. Just an ambitious friend who wanted to do good.FT – We currently have two complete seasons of The Mandalorian under our belts now, plus  Mando-heavy episodes on The Book of Boba Fett. As an insider from the show, what are your thoughts on the way Din Djarin’s story has been unfolding?

DP – I think the writers have such great substance with the foundation of The Mandalorian’s plot. They went back to our 80’s childhood where shows were not only fun with escapism, but they also served as a solid message with true family and friends as a backdrop. I love where they are going with it and I can’t wait to see more.

FT – You beat the odds and continued your small business national tour in 2021. What was one highlight and one challenge you had to overcome, and how has the tour evolved for you since the first time?

DP – The challenge was maintaining a following when I wasn’t in season 2. I was determined to have something official come out of it whether it was an invite back on the show, or featuring my character in something official with the merchandise. The 2nd time around was humbling as I really had to reach to gain the audience. Many had already met me and it was a fine balance between keeping Gekko relevant while not running him to fumes with no other official backstory. If I may add one more challenge, it was the physical aspect of the tour. I had completed 12,000 miles driving in the hot summer by the time I had reached North Carolina. As a fan was talking to me at that day’s signing, I began to feel dizzy. Thinking I just didn’t have enough water, I shook it off and headed on another seven and a half hour trip down to Jacksonville, FL. My condition did not improve and by the time I got to Tampa six days later, I cancelled the final 10 stops and hired a friend to drive me from Atlanta to Hollywood. I made it home safe, but I was mentally and physically exhausted. I felt defeated and I worried if that was the end of “Gekko’s” campaign.

The highlight of the tour in 2021 was the first half with my older son Dante. I had not realized how much the pandemic had affected his mental health. We had some sincere father/son moments and I was so proud to show him firsthand how you have to keep fighting and enjoying life even during dark times of a pandemic, combined with a campaign that was self motivated. I love American History and Pop Culture, so it was a joy to show him places like Tombstone, the Battleship Lexington in Corpus Christi, Mount Rushmore, Mandan Village, St. Charles where Lewis and Clark started their adventure, as well as Springfield where we visited Lincoln’s Tomb.

FT – What was one funny “behind the scenes” story from the tour last year?

DP – We got to Tombstone, AZ in late June. I was so excited to show my son even though it was 106 degrees out. With the heat, came a lot of closures of all of the tourist attractions. It was our Wally World experience where we drove to our first stop nine hours away from Los Angeles, and it was closed. We still enjoyed a nice steak dinner but it was funny we couldn’t enjoy the town to the fullest.

FT – Alright, let’s address the bantha in the room: The first ever officially licensed appearance of your character will be making its debut soon. Please tell us all about it!

DP – Ever since day one after I wrapped on production, I knew the magic of Star Wars side characters. One would argue that Amanaman and Yak Face are two of the most expensive action figures, carded or non carded. Combine that with the short screen time of legendary bounty hunters Bossk, Dengar, 4-Lom, Zuckuss, and IG-88, and I figured ‘why not me?’ There are the stars of Star Wars but in the recent productions, there haven’t been too many Blue Snaggletooths or legendary cantina characters that have grasped the interest of the fan base due to their uniqueness, appeal, as well as marketability.

On top of doing every podcast I could to bring attention to the character, I was also trying to show LFL reps and licensed merch companies Gekko’s appeal to the fan base. I had an amazing contact at Funko who got me all the way up the ladder. They were very kind in saying we were on their radar and to circle back every few months or so. I was told Hasbro was an almost impossible nut to crack and I thought a fan petition would seem too desperate. I had a lot of traction from Marvel wanting to show him but in the end was told they weren’t cleared to feature any smaller Mandalorian characters in their comics at the moment.

A year into my journey, I had a good handful of eyes on me from Star Wars social media pages. There was one toy dealer out in Santa Monica who took notice of my enthusiasm and hustle. I told him I was ambitious in wanting to immortalize Gekko any way I could before the productions expanded to multiple new storylines. He referred me to an incredibly awesome company called Beeline Creative who own Geeki Tikis. Geeki Tikis make the coolest pop culture-themed tiki mugs you could imagine and they have licensing with almost every popular franchise including Star Wars. I shared with the CEO my touring and campaign story along with countless photos of fan art, custom fan figures, articles, podcast links, etc.  At the time they were designing a Mandalorian mural mug just like the cool ones we had at Burger King when we were kids. After checking with Lucasfilm, Beeline had clearance to put “Gekko” on The Mandalorian Season 1 Mural Tiki Mug. It meant so much to me as it’s not just about the mug or even Star Wars, believe it or not. I wanted to prove to my sons how anyone can create something out of the smallest of opportunities in our country. It was a hard fought campaign and I was humbled by this gesture from Lucasfilm. To me, it meant that they appreciated my work with the community and I can’t tell you how proud that makes me. We are all fans of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and I truly believe in my heart it was the both of them who made this happen.

FT – What is one important lesson you would like to share from your amazing Star Wars journey?

DP – I want to have an impact on young adults the most. “Gekko” is not very attractive, and is of a species that has never been seen before. I did not have a lot of support with this campaign. I was never invited with the lead cast to any events or signings. I had to carry myself, and being different and acting different from anyone else is frightening. There were 24 other Bounty Hunters for episodes 1 and 3 of Season 1 of The Mandalorian. One made the decision to believe in himself and create an opportunity with little to no guidance or guarantee anything would materialize. I still did it, and instead of asking what Lucasfilm owes me, I went out there and helped others. I am proud to have been able to raise $30,000 for small business comic shops, and over $30,000 in charity in conjunction with the 501st Legion and Mandalorian Mercs. I hope when fans receive this mug, and if they have children, I hope they can point to Gekko on the mug and tell them my Star Wars story here on earth.

FT – What are you most looking forward to next?