Head Hunter: An Interview with Jeremy Bulloch
by James Swallow, from Star Wars Insider #30 (p. 48-49)

     Forever hidden behind a battlesuit of Mandalorian armor lies the face of a stone killer, a bounty hunter of steely nerves and cold heart: Boba Fett. His name is enough to strike terror in the hearts of bail jumpers across the galaxy, for he is the most feared skip tracer in all the Empire. And behind Fett's mask lies... Well, behind it lies a well-mannered and friendly English actor with a career that encompasses years of film, television and theater. Jeremy Bulloch, taking time out of his told in the play Don't Dress For Dinner in London's West End, spoke exclusively to the Insider about being one of the Star Wars trilogy's best-known baddies.

     Bulloch's first encounter with Fett was quite unassuming at the time. Called in to a casting session held while early filming on The Empire Strikes Back was already under way, the actor was one of several given roles as bounty hunters for the sc ene where Darth Vader engages their services to capture the Millennium Falcon and her crew. Bulloch recalls that he had "No idea at the time of what I was letting myself in for."

     Despite only a relatively small amount of on-screen time in Empire and Jedi, and a bare dozen or so lines of dialogue, Boba Fett was nevertheless a character with an extremely strong presence, in a pivotal role. His capture of Han Solo forms the initial narrative drive for Return of the Jedi and Luke Skywalker's return to Tatooine. As well as two largely unseen guest roles in the Nelvana Studio's cartoon sequence in 1978's "Star Wars Holiday Special" (actually the first appearance of the character) and an episode of Droids, Fett has gained his own backstory through appearances in licensed novels and comic books. Starring roles in the stores of Tales from Jabba's Palace, Tales from the Bounty Hunters, Dark Empire, and in his own one-shot comic, Bounty on Bar-Kooda, have all been eagerly devoured by fans who want to know more about this shady figure.

     The setting of his character, however, was best established in his scenes on Bespin's Cloud City. Bulloch remembers his days on the carbonite chamber set well, working with the similarly masked David Prowse as Darth Vader. "I'd be in the suit virtually the whole day, but the helmet came off after every take because particularly there it was so hot. It would mist up, and I could hardly see through the black visor. I used to look down and make sure I could see my feet! As long as my feet were moving, I'd be keeping my head out but be looking down!" He's not afraid to admit that sometimes he did slip up: "I fell over in the suit at least once!" As one of the fraternity of masked players in the Star Wars troupe, Jeremy is very sympathetic to his fellow actors like Anthony Daniels, Dave Prowse and Peter Mayhew. "They had a far more difficult time that I did. Their costumes were much hotter than mine, so I got off relatively easy. My whole kit was fairly light-- the costume was hot, but you'd put up with it." Surely, it must have been hellish in the Arizona desert filming the Sarlacc sequence? Again, Bulloch comes out on the side of his fellows. "Peter Mayhew suffered more than anyone. Every time he took his costume off the sweat was just pouring off him. I would be warm, but not that bad--I was lucky. But Peter really had to suffer with that hairy suit. He must have lost pounds and pounds each day!"

     With his extensive background in theater work, Bulloch's training to most on stage, to act and convey the meaning by physical action were essential to making the faceless Fett a real character. "The one thing that I always remember, in talking with the director Irvin Kershner and George Lucas, with that this particular character is low in his movements, but deadly--which means underneath it all he's terribly quick, he's aware of everything going on around him." Lucas contributed some backstory to the characterization, which Bulloch drew on to enhance his performance.

     "The character was explained a great deal: what sort of person he was, deadly but very methodical in movement and fast, even though you never saw him move quickly." The dangerous-looking combat gear worn by Boba Fett also set the tone. "The costume helped a great deal. When you were walking past, you'd know how many steps to take before you turn as Luke Skywalker fires a shot, as I'm taking the frozen Han Solo back to the ship. It was exact movements." The armor's design was packed with lethal accessories and weapons units, like a range-finding mast on his helmet, a jetpack with built-in rocket launcher, wrist blasters, rocket darts, extendible boot-tip blades, a flame- thrower and a cable gun. "I knew he was a bounty hunter, but I looked at the machinery on my arms and jetpack and I knew he had to be something special." There have been hints that perhaps Fett was once a soldier in the Clone Wars, fighting with the now long- gone Mandalorian supercommandoes (first glimpsed in Dark Horse comic' Tales of the Jedi: The Sith War). "He was probably an excellent soldier, with a very good war record, and he probably turned to bounty hunting purely for the money. He's pretty mean, but I still think he has the sense of fair play." Perhaps we'll never know his past fully. "There are a few dents in his helmet," notes Jeremy, "So he's been around and he knows what he's doing. Perhaps underneath the ask he may have a dueling scar."

     While the body beneath the battlesuit was all Bulloch's, the voice of the bounty hunter was provided by an American actor in post-production. Bulloch is quite content with that state of affairs. "When I played the character, in that scene with all the other bounty hunters, Irvin Kershner used to shout out directions for the particular sequence, and then ask me 'Have you said your lines, Boba?' because no-one could hear what I was saying under the mask. Special effects took over when the film went back to America, and for the few lines I had they got someone to dub the voice in."

     He's often asked by fans if he was upset by that. "Not really. It was all done in post -production in the U.S.A., afterwards." Bulloch feels that being part of the Star Wars canon is reward enough. "I was thrilled to be part of the trilogy. My children had seen the first movie, I was suddenly involved, and playing a part which some say has become a cult (anti) hero."

     With the restoration of cut scenes from Star Wars to the forthcoming Special Editions, one wonders if any extra moments with Boba Fett were lost to the editor's trims in the second and third movies. Although nothing leaps to mind, Bulloch does recall that quite a bit of filming took place inside Fett's ship, Slave I-- something else to add to the mystique of this masked man.

     He was very pleased to work with both Kershner on Empire and Jedi's director Richard Marquand. "They were both totally different in their ways, but both terribly good." The latter was an old acquaintance of Bulloch's, who let him pretty much play the role as it lay. "Richard said 'Jeremy you've played the part before, you know what it's about.' His directions were subtle, you just listened to what he was saying. He knew where the angles were, how one tilt of the head could get that bit of light glinting off the helmet."

     How does he feel about the return of Fett from his sticky end in the Sarlacc pit, as written in the original Star Wars comic books and novels?

     "That's nice to know! After Return of the Jedi, when he's eaten by the Sarlacc, I said 'Well, that's it. I had great fun and it was a marvelous time.' Then suddenly you hear that he's been resurrected in cartoon form, or in the Dark Horse comics." He adds that over the years many fans of the character have sent him stories and ideas for Fett's escape from the jaws of death. "And so it goes on! I feel thrilled to bits that new stories are coming up about him." He finds the Dark Horse stories to be "superb," and with the character stepping into the limelight once more in the Shadows of the Empire multimedia project (and in the pages of a pop-up comic, no less!), it appears that Fett will remain at large for quite a while. As for a return to the big screen in the new trilogy, Bulloch is hopeful that the bounty hunter could make some sort of comeback in the prequels.

     While perhaps not as well known in the United States, in his native Britain, Bulloch is a familiar face in films and television. The Star Wars movies were not only venture into genre territory. At the tender age of 17 he plated Tor the Zeron in the 1964 Doctor Who story "The Space Museum," and later returned to the show in 1970 to play a role in "The Time Warrior." He appeared in the classic '60s Britpop musical Summer Holiday with pop star Cliff Richards, and more recently he's starred alongside Kenneth Branagh in the WWII drama Swing Kids. Fans from the historical fantasy series Robin of Sherwood might recognize him as Edward of Wickham, and James Bond devotees as Q's occasional assistant Smithers in Octopussy and For Your Eyes Only, and as an unlucky seaman in The Spy Who Loved Me. But perhaps his least well-known role was with the other character he played in The Empire Strikes Back-- the actor explains the scene on Cloud City where the newly arrived Luke is shot at by stormtroopers, as Leia screams "It's a trap!" he is the Imperial officer seen dragging her away, and later being captured by Lando Calrissian's security forces. "The actor to do that part wasn't available that day, so I filled in for him." This sequence affords fans a rare chance to see Bulloch sans body armor.

     Fett's masked visage has become one of the best recognized icons of the Star Wars saga, and consequently that red-and-green helmet has popped up on T-shirts, posters, pins and action figures. Bulloch is philosophical about having his "face" on so much merchandise. "It's extraordinary." he smiles, adding that he's just recently seem the new Boba Fett figure from Kenner, and that its detail puts the original action figure in the shade. Thanks to fans and merchandisers alike, Bulloch has quite a bit of Fett-o-phobia, such as a prized figural mug of Boba's helmet. "Occasionally I have soup in it!" he jokes. "I think it's lovely, with so much merchandise coming out, because you'll have people ask you to sign something, and each time I look at something I'm saying 'I've never seen that before!'" Traveling to many different Star Wars conventions, Bulloch has had the opportunities to meet with fans from all walks of life. "I always felt that I played a bit of a minor character, but it's very nice because fans always say 'Oh, but you weren't minor!' I consider myself very lucky to be invited to these conventions. I always feel surprised at the reaction I get." He admits to being somewhat amazed at the power of the Star Wars phenomenon, still so strong after nearly 20 years. "You meet fans who've come hundreds of miles to see you, and you feel quite honored!" Bulloch makes a point of spending a few moments with fans when asked to sign autographs, which he feels is the least he can do given their generosity and support. "Once I mentioned I like tinned corned beef hash at a convention, and ever since I've been sent tins from generous fans!" As well as autographing photos and the like, Bulloch sometimes draws sketches as well. "I'm not a bad artist, and I've done some little cartoon characters of Boba Fett." He mentions that with the 20-year anniversary just around the corner, his dance book is booked with conventions in England, Scotland and the United States. "I will make the time," he says, reiterating his feelings that it's important to be friendly and accessible to the Star Wars fans. "You're an actor playing a part, but you want to be part of them, the fans, and be approachable."