Disney+ Offers a Closer Look at Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in 'The Mandalorian'

Months after the initial announcement that Rosario Dawson would be joining The Mandalorian as the fan-favorite Ahsoka Tano from The Clone Wars animated series, the dual lightsaber-wielding ex-Jedi finally made her live-action debut last week on Chapter 13 of the show. Offering a deeper look into Dawson and her take on Ahsoka, Variety joined the actress for an extensive interview.

When asked about how she came to take on Ahsoka and join the Star Wars universe, Dawson revealed that she was actually chosen originally by fans, but it gained so much traction that the show’s creator Dave Filoni eventually decided to cast her.

“Actually it first came from fans online,” she recounted. “Someone tweeted me and fan-cast me. I retweeted back and I was like, “Absolutely, yes please” and “#AhsokaLives.” And apparently, that got the attention of someone who has been doing the Star Wars press for years. She forwarded it to Dave Filoni. That kind of started a whole thing. I was like, “Oh my goodness, did I just get fan-cast in something?” And then nothing happened.

Explaining why the episode was called The Jedi despite Ahsoka’s story being based around her departure from the Order, Dawson said that in a way, her decision to leave made her one of the best of the Jedi.

“I love that she is this wanderer character who is going to just do good in the universe. The Jedi Order has disappeared in many ways, it’s so fractured, and so many people are targeted,” Dawson says. “She’s lost so much. She had left that Order under duress, and she’s just been finding her way. And since the very beginning, the way that has been pulling her is to be vigilant, and to be brave, and to be wise, and to always have her eye set on rooting out evil. And I think that’s one of the reasons why so many love her. It’s why I love her. She represents truly the best of the Jedi, you know.”

Season two of The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+. You can head over to Variety for the full interview with Dawson.

Elsewhere in entertainment, a man has attempted to steal the original Darth Vader helmet from J.J. Abrams’ production studio.