Star Wars: Ahsoka Star Mary Elisabeth Winstead Addresses Live-Action Hera Differences

Star Wars: Ahsoka star Mary Elizabeth Winstead addressed how she adapted Hera Syndulla from Star Wars Rebels. The actress spoke to EW as part of a big cover story about the Disney+ series. It's become clear that the TV Star Wars shows have a big role to play in Dave Filoni's corner of the franchise. Winstead explained how difficult it can be to get across some of the nuances with Hera in live-action. The title character of the show, Ahsoka Tano, has some similar growing pains in her appearances in The Mandalorian and other properties. But, fans really 

"After five seasons of watching 'Rebels', those characters are real already. It becomes a different challenge of stepping into some shoes that have already been filled one way and bringing them into literally a different dimension."

"What I love about her is that she's such a strong leader and fighter, and she's also so maternal and nurturing," Winstead added. "We don't often see that depicted on screen. We see army generals being these very masculine, hard figures. And Hera has that, but she also has this softness to her. She really wants her crew to be loved and looked after, and at the same time, she's pushing them to be better."

Star Wars Rebels Lays The Groundwork

Before Rosario Dawson played Ahsoka, Ashley Eckstein voiced the beloved former Jedi. She talked to CinemaBlend about her love for the animated Star Wars programs. The actress would like everyone to go revisit those shows in order to have the foundation to really lean into everything Star Wars: Ahsoka has to offer.

"I actually recommend to everyone who is excited about the upcoming Ahsoka series, I highly recommend that you take the time to watch Clone Wars, and watch Star Wars Rebels, and even Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi. Because if you don't, you're going to miss out on crucial, crucial backstory that you really need to know to fully enjoy the Ahsoka series, which is so exciting," Eckstein told the outlet. 

Star Wars Rebels Fans Having Their Big Moment

The entire Star Wars: Ahsoka rollout has been one big victory lap for Star Wars Rebels fans. They've been waiting on this moment for a while now. It's their time. However, the brain trust responsible for creating these shows know that excitement comes with grand expectations. In the same breath, they're ready to blow everyone away. Filoni told Empire Magazine that fans will be pleased.

"It's thrilling, I gotta tell you," Dave Filoni said of his burgeoning Lucasfilm output. "It's something you imagine doing for a long time. And then it's kind of startling when you're sitting there, and now you have to do it... I thought of this adventure for Ahsoka for a long time, and it's interesting to see how it's evolved. Years ago, I never would have imagined that it was sprung from a branch of a tree that had anything to do with a guy [like] Din Djarin, or a child that looks like Yoda. It's a great lesson for me on how, when you have other creatives like Jon Favreau, they can help lend such dimension and depth to what you're doing."

How Does Ahsoka End Up With Her Friends Again?

Fan-favorite Star Wars hero Ahsoka Tano returns in the brand new series on Disney+. Rosario Dawson stars in Star Wars: Ahsoka, premiering in August on the streamer. The series picks up after the events of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett, in which we saw the former Jedi searching for Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and helping Luke Skywalker train Grogu. Ahsoka will be joined on her new mission alongside longtime allies Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as they attempt to track down Thrawn, who was last seen disappearing to the far reaches of space after a confrontation with Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi). Star Wars: Ahsoka is the latest live-action series from Lucasfilm's creative duo of Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni.

Are you looking forward to all the Rebels love? Let us know down in the comments!