Speaking about the upcoming Disney+ series Ahsoka, Rosario Dawson calls her Star Wars role the most physically demanding of her career. Anakin Skywalker’s Togruta padawan, originally voiced by Ashley Eckstein, was introduced in the 2008 animated feature Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which is set after the events of Episode II. Ahsoka would later return in Star Wars: Rebels as an agent for the budding Rebel Alliance. Rebels’ epilogue confirmed Ahsoka survived the Galactic Civil War and set up her and Sabine Wren’s search for Ezra Bridger.
Prior to 2020, Ahsoka had only existed in animation. However, following a fan-casting campaign, Dawson made her live-action debut as Ahsoka during the second season of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian. “Chapter 13: The Jedi” sees her wield the character’s signature white lightsabers against a cruel magistrate, team up with Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal), and meet the Force-sensitive Grogu. The episode ends with Ahsoka getting some information regarding the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn (yet another Rebels tie-in), effectively setting up her own spin-off series on Disney+.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Dawson talked about preparing to head up her own series with Ahsoka. Regarding her character's status as an expert duelist, the 43-year-old actress discussed the physical challenges of playing an “indefatigable alien.” Read the full quote below:
"Man, I am not a workout-y person, and I'm in my 40s getting into the most physically demanding role of my life. "[Ahsoka's] not someone who gets tired. I can't play this like a human. She is an indefatigable alien. She's precise. She's master level. The challenge is for me to show up and express that... It's like, I won't necessarily work out for myself, but I'll work out for Ahsoka any day of the week. I'm a huge fan, and I don't want to watch and be like, 'Yo, Ahsoka's hand seems a little shaky there.'"
Long-time fans of Star Wars lore, particularly the animated entries, will surely appreciate Dawson’s commitment to her role and awareness of Ahsoka’s prowess. As someone who trained under Anakin Skywalker and survived Order 66, there’s no denying the fact that Ahsoka is an expert combatant. In Rebels, the character even bests Darth Vader in a duel—which only adds to her legend and the argument that she is one of the greatest Force users audiences have seen on screen. It makes sense that she'd have to put herself through the paces for the role.
Dawson's hard work could make for an action-packed series when Asohka releases on Disney+ next year. The actress has teased that she wants to play the character indefinitely. In The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, the Togruta is around 45 years old. While a Togurta’s life span is said to be around 82 years, Force-sensitive beings have been known to extend their natural life in various situations, so it's possible Dawson's Ahsoka will be around for a while.
Source: Vanity Fair
