Freddie Prinze Jr. has revealed that Disney didn't want him to be cast in Star Wars Rebels but was persuaded by showrunner Dave Filoni in the end. Prinze Jr. voiced Kanan Jarrus in the animated show, appearing in 68 episodes. The former teen heartthrob and star of movies like I Know What You Did Last Summer, and She's All That is currently starring in Peacock's Punky Brewster revival as the title character's ex-husband Travis. That return to live-action acting follows a period of a decade-and-a-half in which Prinze Jr. shied away from the acting spotlight, though.

After his early years on-screen, Prinze Jr. largely stepped away from high-profile live-action roles, spending time as a creative consultant and writer for the WWE and taking on many voice acting gigs. He appeared in multiple roles on Robot Chicken over several years, thanks to his connection to Seth Green from his teen movie days. He was then cast in Star Wars Rebels as Kanan Jarrus, a former Jedi Padawan and survivor of Order 66. But despite being one of the main cast members, Prinze Jr. says Disney initially didn't want him on the show.

Related: What Happened To Freddie Prinze Jr.

Speaking to Collider, Prinze Jr. details the Star Wars Rebels audition process, which was typically shrouded in secrecy. He says after he gave a "real strong" audition, he felt he would get the job. But he almost missed out on the role, as, according to him, Disney wanted someone else for the role. They resorted to calling Green to find out what he was like to work with on Robot Chicken and eventually had to be persuaded by showrunner Dave Filoni to cast him. He adds that the audition ended up being his favorite moment from the series and says eventually, the same people who didn't want to cast him refused to let his character be killed off, saying he had to be in "every episode." You can read his full comments below:

I went inside and saw the artwork on the wall and I was like, “Oh, wow, this is Star Wars. They’re just lying.” So then, I was looking at the role way different. I knew what they wanted. It was like Han Solo with a lightsaber. And I walked into a room and saw Filoni with his goofy cowboy hat on that. I love that he’s so committed to it. Even when it’s not the coolest hat, if you still commit, it becomes cooler than it could have ever been, and I love that. So, I was one hundred percent certain what the show was, I read the lines and gave a real strong audition, felt great going out, and they called Seth Green to see if I was a good guy. Disney did not want me. They wanted someone else, but Dave wanted me. So, later that day, I got the call saying, “Hey, you’re gonna get the role.” There were great moments, but no moment ever felt as good as that first audition that I got to do, to earn the role in the first place. The “Trials of the Darksaber” episode was my favorite episode out of all of them. Dave and I talked about me dying at Maul’s hand, at the end of Season 2, but then the same people who didn’t want me for the project suddenly said, “No, he can’t die. He has to be in every episode.” So, I guess I won them over, at some point.

It's ironic that the Disney heads were forced to cast Prinze Jr. and then later insisted his character be kept alive past season 2, but that is sometimes how show business goes. It's a sign, though, of how well Filoni knew his characters that he stuck to his guns and made sure Prinze Jr. was cast. That's something that has shone through with Filoni's work on The Mandalorian, with the director helping to include some of the characters who appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels.

As for Prinze Jr, his role in Star Wars Rebels lasted until season 4, and he even appeared after Kanan was killed off, with his voice being heard and his dead character being a major part of events in the final few episodes. He even voiced Kanan again in a cameo in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, making him an integral part of the Skywalker saga and a key part of the universe's mythos. It turns out Filoni was right all along.

Next: Star Wars: Kanan Jarrus Has a Major Connection to Mace Windu

Source: Collider