Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson explains how one of The Lord of the Ring‘s most iconic characters helped her visualize her character’s journey.
The actor revealed how she often spoke with show creator Dave Filoni about Gandalf’s transformation. “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 told Entertainment Weekly. “Dave 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.”
Dawson continued that Ahsoka’s personal drive to better herself and set increasingly higher goals is what largely drew her to the role. “That push for more, that desire for more, that challenge that she pushes herself to is okay — and it’s actually remarkable and important,” she said. “That’s one of the reasons I’ve been drawn to her over the years, the fact that even with her excellence, she continues to push further.”
Ahsoka’s Growth Outside of Star Wars
While Ahsoka may be a widely beloved Star Wars character now, that wasn’t always the case. Introduced in the critically-panned movie The Clone Wars, many fans were quick to write off Anakin Skywalker’s Padawan as an irritating addition to the canon whose existence felt at odds with the live-action movies. It was only through her development in The Clone Wars TV series that many began to appreciate her, resulting in Dawson ultimately playing the live-action version of Ahsoka in The Mandalorian Season 2 and, subsequently, The Book of Boba Fett.
Ahsoka will follow the titular hero as she embarks upon a journey across the galaxy to stop the return of Grand Admiral Thrawn. The sinister villain, who was introduced to mainline Star Wars canon in Rebels, is on a quest to assume control of the Empire and will stop at nothing to reestablish its tyrannical reign.
Ahsoka premieres on Disney+ on August 23.
