D23 Q&A with Star Wars: Ahsoka Star Rosario Dawson

The fan-favorite character embarks on a new adventure in Lucasfilm’s Star Wars: Ahsoka, now streaming exclusively on Disney+. Set after the fall of the Empire, the Original series follows the former Jedi Knight and Padawan to one of the greatest Jedis of all time, Anakin Skywalker, as she investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy. In May, star Rosario Dawson opened up to D23: The Official Disney Fan Club about reprising her role as the dynamic and principled warrior.Rosario Dawson

D23: What was your experience with the Star Wars movies growing up?
Rosario Dawson (RD): I’ve always just really loved Princess Leia. I loved how strong she was. I loved how capable she was… She was so Force sensitive, even if it wasn’t spoken about in the same sort of way as Luke.

D23: What else do you remember about your early Star Wars fandom?
RD: It was very interesting how complex the characters were. It was never like, “I’m the good guy or the bad guy—and that’s definitive.” There was always this idea that you could choose something differently. And it wasn’t cartoonish. There was something more, something deeper.

D23: What was it like putting on the Ahsoka Tano costume for the first time?
RD: I love playing dress up. I’ve done some levels of cosplay, but this felt beyond official. Obviously, people have cosplayed as Ahsoka for so long, but to have the head tails built and designed properly within the studio—and to then be able to say, “May the Force be with you,” officially—took it to another level. I remember there was a point in which [creator, writer, and executive producer Dave Filoni] was like, “I understand if the contacts might be a lot. Maybe you don’t need to wear them.” And I said, “You can’t do that to me! If I walk out as Ahsoka and I don’t have the blue eyes, you’re setting me up for failure with the fans on day one! We have to go all out.” The second I put those contacts in, and the lightsabers turned on, he stepped back—because he’d helped to create this design. This was him once again designing Ahsoka with a whole new look, a whole new wardrobe, a whole new everything—down to how long the length of the Montrals! Dave had such a strong hand in it. It felt really special, because I was wearing official Ahsoka-wear that no one had ever seen before. It felt legit, because her [original] designer had created it.

D23: What can you tease about your favorite scene to film in Star Wars: Ahsoka?
RD: There’s this forest where we have this really crazy battle; Shin [Ivanna Sakhno] and Sabine [Natasha Liu Bordizzo] are fighting and I am also battling in it. It’s really quite beautiful. It’s kind of like a burnt-out forest with these red leaves. Ivana’s wig actually started turning pink because the whole place started fermenting! We were filming inside, and it was getting earthy. Creatures were moving in, and there were mushrooms actually growing on the trees. It literally came to life. We really loved that one; I think that’s episode four. It’s just really striking and very beautiful. It had that beautiful background. What’s remarkable to me is how it could feel like you’re in a forest, but you’re on a stage.

D23: What do you think is special about the Star Wars universe that accounts for its continuing appeal over generations? Why is it such a great universe for storytelling?
RD: I really love the generational-family aspect between a lot of the characters. There are certain callbacks. In Obi-Wan Kenobi, you get to see Obi-Wan take off part of Darth Vader’s helmet. You get to see Ahsoka do that in the animated series [Star Wars Rebels]. But the only one who was ever properly able to take it off completely and help him to be seen again in the light was Luke [in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi]… [There’s a recurring theme that] the hero can become the villain and the villain can become the hero. I just think there’s something quite beautiful about that, and there’s a tremendous lesson in that.