Star Wars Rebels’ Freddie Prinze Jr. Looks Back on Nearly Missing Out on Kanan Role

Freddie Prinze Jr. joined the galaxy far, far away with his role of Kanan Jarrus in Star Wars Rebels, going on to cement the figure as one of the more beloved heroes in the Disney age of Star Wars, with the actor recently reflecting on how he was initially being passed on for the role, but series creator Dave Filoni ultimately got him secured in the project. The actor also noted how, at the time, he had no idea he was auditioning for Star Wars and thought it was a different animated project, only for the discovery of what he was really trying out for making him more passionate about the possibility.

“Getting to be a Jedi, the first moment is the best moment. It’s like a drug,” Prinze shared with Collider. “The first moment was the audition. When I went in, I didn’t know it was Star Wars because they’re so stupidly secretive about everything. Who cares? Just tell people you’re making a Star Wars cartoon. I was in the parking lot and there was this legend voice actor. I won’t say his name, but he was smoking a joint in the parking lot, and he went, ‘Oh, you’re here for Star Wars?’ I was like, ‘No, man, I’m here for something called Wolf Pack.’ He goes, ‘No, man, it’s Star Wars.’”

He continued, “I went inside and saw the artwork on the wall and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, this is Star Wars. They’re just lying.’ So then, I was looking at the role way different. I knew what they wanted. It was like Han Solo with a lightsaber. And I walked into a room and saw Filoni with his goofy cowboy hat on that. I love that he’s so committed to it. Even when it’s not the coolest hat, if you still commit, it becomes cooler than it could have ever been, and I love that. So, I was one hundred percent certain what the show was, I read the lines and gave a real strong audition, felt great going out, and they called Seth Green to see if I was a good guy. Disney did not want me. They wanted someone else, but Dave wanted me. So, later that day, I got the call saying, ‘Hey, you’re gonna get the role.’”

The actor also went on to note that, while there were talks of Maul killing off his character in Season 2, there was a change of heart and he stuck around until the final episodes before making a fatal sacrifice.

“Dave and I talked about me dying at Maul’s hand, at the end of Season 2, but then the same people who didn’t want me for the project suddenly said, ‘No, he can’t die. He has to be in every episode,’” Prinze recalled. “So, I guess I won them over, at some point. There were definitely some stand-out moments in there. The fight with Maul getting blinded was special. Teaching Sabine was special. The death, which everyone gives me the most credit for, has nothing to do with me. There’s no dialogue there. That’s all Dave, the animators, music, and people more talented than me that made you think it was me. But nothing will top the audition. The audition was still the best part.”

With some of the characters seen in Rebels joining the world of live-action, many Star Wars fans are still hoping to see Kanan be brought to life at some point in the future.

Are you glad Prinze earned the role? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!