Dominic Pace Stars as Damian Gries for Lifetime’s “Secret of a Celebrity Nanny” Coming in October
Q and A with Dominic Pace
Q: Between the COVID shutdown and the ongoing Writers and SAG Strike, it has to have been a difficult few years for you Entertainment Wise.
A: Somehow I managed to stay afloat. It was such a blessing from Disney and Lucasfilm as they allowed me to represent one of the most popular shows in the world during the Pandemic. https://insidethemagic.net/2021/06/mandalorian-actor-helping-small-businesses-rwb1/. It was tough to have that work stoppage in 2020 as I was coming off Guest Stars from Fox, CBS, and Nickelodeon, but the Star Wars tour with my sons was absolutely priceless.
As far as the strike, I’ve been very fortunate to have many friends in the restaurant industry, and I’ve settled in comfortably as General Manager of an Italian Restaurant in Sherman Oaks for the time being.
Q: Before the strike, you landed a Starring role in Lifetime Television’s Secret of a Celebrity Nanny coming out in October. Director Dylan Voxx said you beat out 300 other actors for the role. Can you share with younger actors any advice to edge out that amount of competition?
A: I think the biggest mistake rookie actors make with auditions, is that when they see a scene that might resemble anger or rage, they emotionally go to level 10. There are a few problems with this… 1) if you go there from the start, there’s nowhere else to go… and 2) most of the time, that rage or anger is diluted as there aren’t different levels to the performance. Director Dylan Voxx truly deserves all the credit as he really got me where I needed to be in both the audition as well as the scenes. I’m very grateful to him as he’s my kind of director. He works quickly and efficiently and knows exactly what he wants.
Q: Can you tell us anything about the storyline?
A: During the Holidays last year, I spent a great deal of time studying Hitchcock. There’s a beautiful biography of him called Hitchcock: A Life of Darkness and Light. The chapters are broken down into every 5 years of his life. It was nice to go through his filmography from Silent Film in England to his Golden Era of the 50’s in America. I had watched a few of his classics, but not all. I would compare Nanny to a beautiful Hitchcock film. Writers Richard Clark and Jason-Shane Scott did an amazing job.
Q: Starring alongside you is an ensemble of Yolanthe Cabau, Monroe Cline, Matthew Blade, Memphis Taylor, Lily Williams, Glen Bond, and Brittany McVicker. What was it like working with them on set?
A: Future stars with beauty and talent. That’s really hard to find in this town. Sometimes you get one or the other but not both within the same performer. Everyone was incredible. It was a privilege to work with them. I think Yolanthe has millions of followers who love her all around the world.
Q: Speaking of Social Media Followers, you’ve seemed to have fallen off the grid with Twitter and Instagram. Is there any reason why?
A: There were a number of reasons I chose to lay low the past year. For one I can tell you that the Star Wars fan base became really overwhelming. I was so appreciative of all the support with the signings around the country including England. I just wasn’t ready for all the messages which I felt was a bit intrusive. It’s also been a bit of a turnoff watching others clamoring for likes. Young women especially in my opinion. It’s become this addiction to many where most aren’t even living in the moment. You’ll see couples on there showing off their intimate moments. Trying to show everyone how happy they are when ironically they’re looking for validation and approval. I believe the confident man or talent does not need it. Not to mention the importance of reading books and cooking instead of being constantly on there.
Q: It is uncertain when the strike will end. Any thoughts on your future as a performer and where the industry is heading?
A: There was a profound amount of misogyny prior to 2000. You’d see bad actresses baring their breasts for even a scene on a motorboat just because. The pendulum has now completely shifted to 3rd wave feminism which, in my opinion, has sort of a disconnect due to trying so hard to make women strong. There’s no arc in many of these female characters. Stunning and Brave to start the movie, and the same to end it with little to no substance. Male characters have gone from too macho, to now emasculated Beta Males so there’s no sign of chauvinism. Tarantino’s recent book talks about the dead eras of Hollywood. Sadly, I think the present may fall into that category as we are stuck with redundant Superhero Movies, or Preachy/ Virtue Signaling films where the audience does not care about the characters. I think we got it right sometime around The Notebook and The English Patient. I hope we can return there someday. Personally, my time is coming to an end. The work itself is no longer what makes me happy. After my sons graduate school in around 3 years, I think it’s time for a different scenery and lifestyle.
To learn more about Dominic visit: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm0655124/bio/
