'The Mandalorian' Nails the Subtle Art of Faceless Acting

"No one can read my poker face": the galaxy far, far away edition.

As the third season of The Mandalorian revolves around Mando, a.k.a. Din Djarin, seeking redemption for taking the helmet off, it's time to talk about the elephant in the room a.k.a. the helmet itself. How is it possible that in the age when most superheroes nonchalantly put their helmets on and off with a press of a single button (yes, Marvel, I am talking about you), the audience fell head-over-heels for a character whose face has hardly been shown? The Mandalorian has taught us about the subtle art of conveying complex emotions with a metal bucket on one's head — and it's not always Pedro Pascal behind the helmet.

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The helmet has long been a staple of movie costume design, however, it entails an issue of protecting the character's face not only from harm, but also from the audience's view. Films usually solve the problem by either giving the character no helmet, or writing into the story a reason why the helmet has to be removed — either voluntarily or not — even in the midst of the most intense battle. While some movies are able to make a reasonable compromise by showing an internal view of the helmet, so the audience can check in on the character (think Tony Stark in Iron Man), others feel the necessity to get the character outside of the armor both emotionally and physically, despite the helmet's importance for the plot or the character's story. Notably, the recent TV adaptation of Halo (Paramount+) has shown that the audience, especially the fan base, can experience resentment against such a treatment of the iconic masked characters.

In contrast, Star Wars as a franchise has long been known for characters wearing masks that hardly ever go off. Darth Vader's life support system, the symbol of the Mandalorian warrior culture, even those numerous aliens and robots (C-3PO in the original trilogy was played by actor Anthony Daniels in a cumbersome suit) — the list of iconic helmets and masks in Star Wars universe goes on and on, and we haven't even touched on the wealth of stormtroopers. Despite the lack of human faces and emotions, these are all extremely well-developed and beloved characters. So, what's the secret of pulling off a character without over-reliance on the face as an emotive tool?

In the scene following Din's parting with Grogu we see the Mandalorian reaching to the starship's control panel only to find the missing spherical metal knob. Instead of seeing sadness or hesitation in the character's face, the audience has to rely on other channels — the body language in this case — to perceive the drama. As we naturally put ourselves in the character's shoes, imagining what he must be thinking and feeling, and what his facial expression must be behind the helmet, we project our own feelings, furthering an investment in an already strong dramatic narrative.

The genius of The Mandalorian is that the helmet is woven into the fabric of the story and acts as a powerful plot steerer and drama intensifier. Breaking the sacred do-not-take-off-the-helmet creed in "Chapter 15: The Believer" sets off a whole cascade of events, leading to the dramatic tension between Din Djarin, The Death Watch, and the rest of Mandalorians in the third season of the show. Taking the helmet off only in the most dramatically intense scenes creates a natural emphasis and an incredible emotional payoff: being that sharing an intimate bonding moment with his son Grogu before giving him away to Luke Skywalker or giving up resistance and revealing his face in front of the droid he once felt contempt and prejudice towards — the helmet is not only the cornerstone of the hero's identity, but also a powerful tool to mark key moments in the character's arc.

Even though it is incredibly difficult to convey the tension of a scene when the main character's face is covered in steel, being stripped off their most favorable acting tool can become a powerful driving force for actors to seek alternative, yet equally effective ways to build a strong emotional bond between the audience and a character. As it has been proved by James Earl Jones’ excellent voice performance of Darth Vader, voice plays a vital role in making an iconic character. The Mandalorian enforces this notion as his deep, modulated, and (dare I say) sexy gunslinger-esque voice is virtually inseparable from the character as much as the shining beskar armor and the signature helmet (even though it is impossible to see in it in real life).

While the voice performance does belong to one and only Pedro Pascal (recorded in post-production), when it comes to the physical representation of our hero, the armored figure we see on screen is performed by three people — Pascal and his body doubles, Brendan Wayne and Lateef Crowder. The doubles’ work in The Mandalorian has not been reserved to merely stunt-heavy action sequences — Wayne, who has contributed to every episode of The Mandalorian thus far, said in an interview for Vulture that he and Pascal have been in a constant dialog developing a common vision for Mando's distinctive body language: a slight tilt of the helmet, a loud sigh in response to Grogu's mischief, the gloved hand clenched in a fist — these micro-actions have already become character-defining and really help to inform the effectiveness of Din Djarin as a character overall. It is clear that establishing a good working relationship between all the performers is a key to building a compelling character. Regardless of who is under the Mandalorian helmet, the hero must move in the same, recognizable way.

On the set of "Chapter 4: Sanctuary," director Bryce Dallas Howard worked predominantly with Pascal's doubles while the actor was busy in rehearsals for King Lear on Broadway (the situation repeated when Pedro took some time away from Mando to film The Last of Us). Ironically, "Sanctuary" turned out as one of, if not the most romantic episodes of the show, shading light on Mando's soft side as he develops feelings for beautiful Omera (Julia Jones) from the planet of Sorgan. The undeniable chemistry between the characters makes it ever so poignant to see the Mandalorian stopping Omera's hands when she tries to lift his helmet. Although we can not see the face of the hero, his hands say everything — the soft, yet firm grip conveys all those conflicting feelings he is battling at that moment. The last look Mando casts over the village in the end of the episode is equally telling, despite the audience being given as little as the direction of the T-visor.

Atlhough it is undeniably easier to convey humanity and personality through facial expressions, even the most complex feelings can be shown just as efficiently through the most subtle movements of the body and voice acting. The Mandalorian proves that wearing a mask when it suits the story can build a strong dramatic narrative and inform real collaborative performances from multiple actors, each of which brings something unique to the character.

Daria is an independent researcher and Feature Writer for Collider. A combination of BA in Art History and MA in Fashion Studies makes Daria an ideal person to come to when the matters of historical costumes and period drama are in question. Daria is a scholar and an avid geek and has produced a number of academic papers and conferences on the subject of Fandom Studies. In her spare time she likes to practice in classical épée fencing, but occasionally you can also see her with a lightsaber.