'The Mandalorian': Why Golden Globes Changed Its Rules

“The Mandalorian” TV series is the first live action “Star Wars” series. The show tells the story of a bounty hunter who operates in the Outer Rim, far from the watchful eyes of the New Republic. The show has become a huge hit, but the fact that the main character played by Pedro Pascal almost always has his helmet on means that the actor will not be eligible for a Golden Globe.

Following the success of the show, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association made a change to the Golden Globes. According to Variety, “voice-only performances are not eligible in any acting category.” Since Pascal’s face is not visible in almost the whole first Season, his role will be categorized as voice-only, which makes him ineligible for an award.

Sources told Variety that the move by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association was because of the nature of Pascal’s new role. The actor was not nominated for an award last year, but technically, he was eligible last year because his face was revealed in the finale. The clarification comes in response to any doubts about the future roles where actors have their faces covered.

Another complication when it comes to Pascal’s nomination for a Golden Globes award for “The Mandalorian” is the fact that he was not the only one who put on the helmet and filmed the relevant scenes. According to Collider, John Wayne’s grandson Brendan Wayne and stunt double Lateef Crowder played the role of the bounty hunter while Pascal was busy rehearsing for his role in Broadway’s “King Lear.”

Although it took three actors to bring the character Din Djarin to life, it was Pascal who voiced the character throughout the first Season. According to Screen Rant, awards voters may be reluctant to recognize one actor for a role that has contributions of multiple people. However, this is also an opportunity for prestigious awards to consider a new category to recognize voice acting.

Filming of “The Mandalorian” Season 2 has been completed and it will be released in October on the Disney+ streaming platform. It remains to be seen if Pascal will continue to appear with his helmet on.