WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Halo Season 1, Episode 1, “Contact,” streaming now on Paramount+.
As the new kid on the block for portraying an almost-always helmeted space warrior, one might expect that Halo‘s Pablo Schreiber would reach out for some tips on conveying an emotionally nuanced performance through a visor. That was not the case in a heart-warming exchange between Schreiber and The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal.
During an interview with Schreiber, TVLine posed a similar question. As two characters who are known for keeping their faces concealed from their friends, enemies and the audience, it’s not strange to think they might exchange tips on the subtle art of nodding and shrugging to share feelings. Schreiber, however, laughed off the suggestion but did admit that he requested help from Pascal for an equally important reason: “No — but I did call [Pedro] and ask him for a birthday video for my kid! From one helmeted soldier to another, ‘Can I just get a little birthday shout-out?'”
Schreiber, a father of two, apparently has the covered-face acting method down, but making his kid’s birthday dream come true? That took some help from Pascal. Luckily, the man behind the mask of Mando was more than happy to oblige. As Schreiber attested, “He was very amenable to that, and sent me one immediately.”
Helmets aside, there is a world of difference between the Mandalorian and Halo‘s iconic protagonist, John-117 aka Master Chief. In Halo‘s first episode, “Contact,” the Master Chief and the other members of the SPARTAN-II program are introduced as inhuman super soldiers who are capable of only one thing — killing. Over the course of the episode, John-117 finds himself at odds with his superiors and their orders. This ultimately leads to a climactic standoff between Master Chief and the lone survivor of a Covenant attack. In a demonstration of humanity and trust, John removes his helmet.
It’s a moment that fans of the video game series may not have been expecting, but an important one according to Schreiber. As he stated in the interview, “…You really want to have a strong relationship with your protagonist character, and to follow him along you need to have access to the face.” He continued, “You need to know how the character is feeling about things over the course of time, and that goes a long way toward forming a bond… [Removing the helmet at times] felt really important.”
The Halo television series is currently streaming exclusively on Paramount+, with new episodes released every Thursday. Seasons 1 and 2 of The Mandalorian are streaming on Disney+.
Source: TVLine
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