Rosario Dawson Studied Original Ahsoka Actor's Performance Heavily
The Mandalorian star Rosario Dawson says she heavily studied Ashley Eckstein's performances as Ahsoka Tano in preparation for her role. Starting with Ahsoka's debut in The Clone Wars movie back in 2008, Eckstein provided the voice for the character over the course of several years in a variety of projects, including the Clone Wars animated show, Star Wars Rebels, and video games. She even had a voiceover cameo in last year's Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as Ahsoka was one of the Jedi voices reaching out to Rey during the final battle.
Since the character's inception, Eckstein has been synonymous with Ahsoka, but she didn't get the opportunity to bring Anakin Skywalker's former Padawan to live-action. Dawson stepped into the role in The Mandalorian season 2, making her first appearance in the most recent episode, "The Jedi." Though Eckstein wasn't involved with The Mandalorian, Dawson made sure she made an effort to honor her predecessor's work.
Speaking with Vanity Fair about Ahsoka's highly-anticipated The Mandalorian debut, Dawson complimented Eckstein's work developing the character over her journey on the animated shows, revealing she paid very close attention to Eckstein's performances:
Ashley did a remarkable job. You’ve seen this character first come into our hearts and minds as a teenager and then evolve, and Ashley has been there the entire way. Seeing how her voice changed, how her energy changed, and to hear the maturity develop in her was just so powerful and so beautiful. I studied it like crazy and tried my best to honor that. And it was just incredible to be able to have such an in-depth performance to source.
With a new actor coming in to play an established, fan-favorite character, it was vital for Dawson's Ahsoka to capture the spirit of Eckstein's portrayal. It would have been very disappointing if Dawson's iteration fell flat, especially since this was something viewers had been looking forward to for a while. It isn't surprising to hear Dawson took the time to study Eckstein, but it's a nice illustration of how she took the role seriously and made sure she did everything in her power to make her performance as strong as it could be. Dawson expressed interest in playing live-action Ahsoka for years, so she understood how important it was for her to deliver a strong performance. In a way, it's similar to Alden Ehrenreich taking over Han Solo for Solo: A Star Wars Story. The new version shouldn't feel like an imitation, but it's key to honor the past and acknowledge the history behind the role.
Fortunately, Dawson's hard studying seems to have paid off. "The Jedi" was a well-received episode, and viewers are excited to see more of the actress as Ahsoka in the future. It doesn't seem like she'll be back in The Mandalorian season 2, but "The Jedi" didn't feel like a one-and-done guest spot. Considering the tease of Ahsoka's hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn, Dawson should be reprising the role at some point in the near future (The Mandalorian seasons 3 and 4 are in the works). Regardless of when she shows up again, longtime Star Wars fans can be happy knowing Dawson has great appreciation for Eckstein's legacy and uses that to inform her performance.
Source: Vanity Fair