Star Wars: Ahsoka's Rosario Dawson Says Ashley Eckstein Gave Series Her "Blessing"

Ashley Eckstein gave Ahsoka Tano her voice from the very beginning of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, with the actor also expressing her interest in bringing the character into live-action, were she given the opportunity, though it was Rosario Dawson who was ultimately cast for the role. Even though a new performer became the voice of Tano in The Mandalorian and in the upcoming Star Wars: Ahsoka, Dawson recently recalled that Eckstein gave the spinoff series her blessing, as she visited the production and was in awe of seeing elements from the animated series being realized in the real world. Star Wars: Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ in August.

"It was just absolutely remarkable to have her on set," Dawson shared with Entertainment Weekly's Dagobah Dispatch podcast. "We were beside ourselves. And she came in and you could just see it in her eyes. It's very similar to the look in [Clone Wars, Rebels, and Ahsoka creator Dave FIloni's] eyes. These are people who have been working in dark rooms with microphones and these animated characters for so long. And to see it now three-dimensionally is pretty wild. And to have her energy there and her blessing on this show is everything, because she's so much a part of this show."

Having voiced Ahsoka in multiple seasons of The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Dawson also used Eckstein's performance of Ahsoka as a source of inspiration for the live-action project.

"We literally religiously watch these episodes over and over again as homework, which is like the easiest and the best homework in the world," the actor admitted. "And the inflection of the voice and the heart and the love and just the commitment over so many years — I mean, she's a true believer. And I think that heart just lives on in this story."

She added, "You have this volume and work and performance to go back to ... and these memories and reflections and The Clone Wars and Rebels with the work that Ashley did. We got to watch her grow and develop, and see the heart and the energy and the passion and the love that Ashley has brought to this character."

Star Wars: Ahsoka is set to premiere on Disney+ in August.

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