Lars Mikkelsen is ready for fans to see his new take on Thrawn in the highly-anticipated Disney Plus Star Wars series Ahsoka. There's a lot of excitement surrounding the show's upcoming premiere, and this character's live-action debut is only one reason.
As the first Star Wars project from creator Dave Filoni since Tales of the Jedi, Ahsoka has inspired eagerness in many fans to see what Lucasfilm's illustrious Executive Creative Director has in store. However, as enticing as it is to finally see another Filoni-created production, one character, in particular, seems to be uniting fans, new and old, in anticipation. The devious Grand Admiral Thrawn is back in Star Wars canon, much to the masses' delight. But after voicing the character in animated form in Star Wars Rebels, Mikkelsen has a unique approach to playing Thrawn again.
Mikkelsen recently spoke to Empire Magazine (via Collider), and it turns out his decision against revisiting his past work as Thrawn was only one step in the character's reinvention. The next step is the voice, and Mikkelsen understands that voice acting is a much different discipline than appearing on-screen. "I'm not losing the voice, but I am tweaking it into live-action," he confirmed. "When you do an animated character, there's a whole melodious approach. When you're there as a real person, that would be just slightly too much."
Mikkelsen described his love for the character, a connection shared with the fans who offered a heartwarming reception when he was announced as Thrawn in Ahsoka. "I love the way he rises through the Empire, and the way he carries himself in that environment to become somebody," Mikkelsen said. "And then of course, how can you not like a very clever villain? Thrawn takes the time to understand his opponent's culture, and what they're about. It's lovely to be playing that."
He's certainly not wrong about the best voice-acting performances. There's a reason casting celebrities in animated movies rarely works as well as casting voice actors, and that's because they're entirely different acting methods. But while Mikkelsen may arguably be a screen actor first and foremost, he put in the work on Star Wars Rebels and appreciates what goes into both versions of the character. Those who have been fans of Thrawn since his original appearance as the cunning villain of Timothy Zahn's Heir to the Empire novels will likely find that to be promising news.
Mikkelsen already teased some strong writing in Ahsoka, which many likely already expected from a Filoni-created project. But it's still nice to hear, even in press tour-speak. But knowing how well he understands the character of Thrawn, along with those already high expectations, is sure to keep the hype strong in the ever-dwindling time between now and the show's upcoming release.
Ahsoka is set to premiere on August 23rd, 2023, on Disney Plus.
Source: Empire Magazine (via Collider)