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Behind the Mask Actors

Duwayne Dunham

Age: 71
Born: November 17, 1952

Prototype Boba (Screen Test) and Pre-Pro 1 Boba (Parade Boba)

2022-12-22T18:54:16-08:00

Actor/Model

An assistant film editor for "Empire" at the time, and later one of the editors for "Jedi," Duwayne Dunham wore the all-white prototype Boba Fett costume in a 1978 screen test with Ben Burtt.

According to the book "The Making of Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back" by J.W. Rinzler, Duwayne also wore the costume at the San Anselmo Country Fair Day and Parade.

Quotes

Boba Fett's popularity

"Everybody had high, high hopes because Boba was such a cool-looking costume. Outside of Vader, it was the best. The character evolved... the all-white [version] was just another stormtrooper, a supertrooper. But as the character evolved, when he got painted... it was so cool. But everyone had high hopes. I was around George all the time and would hear all the conversations [so] I was looking for another character kind of on the level of Han Solo. But for some reason it just didn't pan out as George had imagined, and then came Jedi, it was 'throw him in the Sarlaac [sic] pit!' We kinda mounted a protest saying 'You can't do that to Boba Fett! He's deserving of more!' But they threw him in... and as you know, fans have never let him die." -- StarWars.com Interview 7/2014

"What I remember about that day is it was incredibly hot. I'm not just talking about the suit, I'm saying that day in San Anselmo was really hot. It could have been 100 degrees. I think we were at the head of the parade. And Vader, he stands out. I don't know what people thought of me. Nobody knew about Boba Fett at that point. The two of us were about to die at that point. Sweat was just pouring [Laughs]. I remember telling [producer] Gary Kurtz: 'Gary, I gotta get out of this suit or I'm going to pass out!' We were drenched." -- StarWars.com Interview 7/2014

"Do you know that Boba Fett wore spurs? He was Clint Eastwood in outer space. [Sound Designer Ben Burtt] put spurs on him so that when he walks down the hallway, he goes 'ching, ching, ching...'" -- StarWars.com video interview 5/2007

Trivia

"Dunham avoided a bit of disaster earlier that day as a test of Fett's wrist-mounted flame-thrower (created by Industrial Light and Magic) went horribly wrong after a propane leak caused Dunham's arm to catch fire." -- CNET


Last updated: December 22, 2022
Article ID: 172