Highlights
- Rosario Dawson reveals that her character, Ahsoka Tano, in the upcoming live-action Star Wars series draws inspiration from Gandalf's character growth in Lord of the Rings.
- Fans can expect to see Ahsoka's development and transformation in the series, with her already being a capable leader but still having room for growth.
- Dawson expresses excitement for Dave Filoni's upcoming Star Wars movie, praising his talent and remarking on how he has taken what he learned in animation and applied it to live-action.
Ahsoka actor Rosario Dawson has revealed the unlikely source of inspiration that helped shape the character in her first solo Star Wars series.
Ahsoka was first announced in December of 2020 as a new live-action Star Wars series for Disney Plus featuring Dawson in the titular role of Ahsoka Tano, a character created for the highly acclaimed 2008 TV series Star Wars: The Clone Wars who quickly became a fan favorite throughout the show’s run. Following on from The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, Ahsoka is set after the fall of the Galactic Empire and will see the titular former Jedi investigating a yet unknown threat to the galaxy far, far away. Dave Filoni, the supervising director of The Clone Wars, developed the show alongside The Mandalorian creator Jon Favreau.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly about the upcoming project, Dawson, who gave fans positive updates during the filming of Star Wars: Ahsoka, discussed the inspiration behind her iteration of Ahsoka and what’s in store for her character arc from the original animated series. "In the animation, you saw her go to the white, but what I loved is the idea that there was even another level to her," Dawson explained to EW. "Dave [FIloni] and I talked a lot about Gandalf the Gray and Gandalf the White – talking about that transition and how she's someone very capable and excellent and looked up to as a leader, but she still has levels of development to go."
Gandalf, a pivotal character in the critically acclaimed Lord of the Rings universe, appears in more than one form, with the color-based name distinction being only one of the differences between Gandalf the Grey and Gandalf the White. One interesting facet of the change is Gandalf's increased clarity of mind, focus, and vastly improved mastery over his powers. While some fans of the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars series can already draw easy parallels between this idea and the character growth that began for Ahsoka after she departed from the Jedi Order, it will be interesting to see how the arc continues and concludes in the live-action series with a more mature Ahsoka Tano.
The Ahsoka character is inseparable from Filoni's creative direction, a talent that got him the title of Executive Creative Director at Lucasfilm. He’s also been allowed to work on his own Star Wars movie, which is rumored to be recasting a classic role and bringing back a divisive star.
Ahsoka certainly has a lot going for it; With Dawson's encouraging words for viewers of the Star Wars show, even the most casual fans or total newcomers can enjoy the upcoming series without doing a ton of homework that might put them off.
Ahsoka is set to premiere for streaming on Disney Plus on August 23, 2023.
Source: Entertainment Weekly