Rosaria Dawson and Natasha Liu Bordizzo spoke to ET about the latest live-action ‘Star Wars’ series centered on Ahsoka Tano.
After first appearing as Ahsoka Tano in season 2 of The Mandalorian and again in The Book of Boba Fett, Rosario Dawson is set to star in her own live-action Star Wars series on Disney+. The 43-year-old actress will continue to play the Force-sensitive fighter in the upcoming spinoff, Ahsoka, which follows the adventures of the character first established in the animated series The Clone Wars.
While speaking to ET at Star Wars Celebration in Anaheim, California, Dawson gushed over being able to be the “literal physical embodiment” of this character, which comes long after fans campaigned for her to bring the role to life onscreen. “I really love being able to not just try to imagine this character to life, you know, [and] to get to take her on physically,” she said. “So much of who she is is physical. And it’s made me feel closer to her and closer to this journey.”
She added, “It’s been amazing because that’s a gift I’m going to have for the rest of my life.”
After first being introduced as a Jedi Padawan of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) in The Clone Wars, Tano eventually becomes disillusioned with the Jedi Council and leaves the Jedi Order. Years later, she emerges as a secret Rebel agent in Star Wars Rebels and unexpectedly encounters her former teacher, who is now known as Darth Vader and leading the charge against the Jedi.
In the live-action series, Tano is seen offering to help the Mandalorian return Grogu to his own kind so that he can be trained in the ways of the Force under Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill). Though she advises the bounty hunter from seeing the Child after relinquishing his care to Skywalker, she agrees to give him chainmail that he’s made for his companion.
Ahsoka, which was also created by Dave Filoni and is executive produced by Jon Favreau, will presumably pick up after these events as Tano is reunited with Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo), a Mandalorian warrior and Imperial Academy dropout who was first seen in Star Wars Rebels.
After previously starring in The Society on Netflix, the 27-year-old Australian actress has been tasked with bringing Wren to life on the live-action spinoff. “I think everyone’s dying to see what happens next because the journey is clearly not over,” she said of picking up Wren’s story so long after Rebels.
“I’m just excited that we get to give everyone that because they deserve it,” Bordizzo continued, adding that “I’m so honored that I can be a part of this next chapter.”
During the Celebration, where her role was officially confirmed, Bordizzo acknowledged the fandom surrounding her character. “I know how much Sabine means to a lot of people in the room,” the actress said. “I think you guys are going to be really excited about the journey she’s about to have.”
Another character confirmed during the panel was C1-10P aka Chopper, a droid which first emerged during Clone Wars and operated Ghost, a modified VCX-100 light freighter.
In addition to Dawson and Bordizzo, Ahsoka will also star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who joins her husband, Ewan McGregor, as an official member of the Star Wars universe.
Although details about her role remain unclear, McGregor gushed about the two of them being part of the extended franchise. “It’s something that will [always] be with us. It’s not something that ever goes away,” he said, adding that “now that she’s also in this world where we’ll be able to do this kind of thing together, it should be amazing.”
While not confirmed, it’s also been reported that Christensen will once again reprise his role as Darth Vader, following his current run in the limited series Obi-Wan Kenobi starring McGregor as the titular Jedi Master. Also, Ivanna Sakhno and Ray Stevenson have been reported to be cast in undisclosed roles.
Based on brief footage shown during the Celebration, Hera Syndulla, another other character from the animated series, is expected to appear as well.
Ahsoka will premiere in 2023 on Disney+.
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