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Dominic Pace, a 1993 graduate of Ossining High School, can be seen as a bounty hunter in the "The Mandalorian," a live-action series that tells the story of a bounty hunter five years after the "Return of the Jedi."
It's a long way from the days when he starred in a high school production of "Grease" as Danny Zucco.
"Almost 1,000 people packed the high school auditorium. I loved it," Pace told Fantha Tracks in a wide-ranging interview about life and his new gig.
Pace said he remembers the days of growing up with his single mother and siblings in an apartment. And how that's where his love of Stars Wars took off.
"I was 5 years old in 1980, and we lived in an apartment in Ossining," Pace told Fantha Tracks. "My mom got me the cantina set, as well as the original figures. I can remember how much I found interest in the side characters. The first word I remember spelling was 'Jawa.' "
After high school, Pace went on to attend one year of Marist College before telling his mother that his real heart was in acting and dropping out of college.
He moved to New York and worked odd jobs as he took acting lessons and worked for years before he began landing parts in national TV shows.
Saying he never turned down any work, including a part in
Pace, 44, started landing guest roles in national TV shows. One of his first performances on film was as a teammate of Kevin Costner in "For Love Of The Game." He's also been a regular on "Superstore."
The perfect role for a man who dreamed of playing Major League baseball all the way through his college days on the field.
But, years later, and role and role, still didn't prepare Pace for the heady experience of finding out that he was really going to be part of the "Star Wars" world.
"It wasn’t until I entered the wardrobe offices that I realized what I was working on," Pace said to Fantha Tracks. "Any 'Star Wars' fan could see right away what project they were in by the photos on the wall. My hands went a little numb."
His character? Gekko, a masked bounty hunter.
Pace has hopes that Gekko will have a long run, but for right now, he's just enjoying the ride.
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