Star Wars: Ahsoka's Thrawn Actor Describes Villain's Approach

Star Wars: Ahsoka is approaching rapidly and Thrawn will be the big villain for the series. Lars Mikkelsen will take up the role of the blue baddie when Disney+ launches Ahsoka. He talked to Entertainment Weekly about Thrawn's approach this time around. Some time has passed since the events of Star Wars Rebels. While the Empire has taken a bit of a different shape, the threat remains. Mikkelsen is excited to see his stern tactician dropped into the live-action Star Wars universe. Here's what he had to say about Thrawn's machinations in Ahsoka.

"He's brutal to a certain point, but he's not stupid," Mikkelsen replied when asked about Thrawn. "He utilizes the creativity around him, and I like that. He doesn't just kill people off for the fun of it. He's sort of seven pages ahead of everybody else."

Lars Mikkelsen Returns As Thrawn

Star Wars TV czar Dave Filoni is very fond of Grand Admiral Thrawn. This year, he told Empire Magazine that the villain was the biggest threat in The New Republic era. In his own words,  "Definitely, in my eyes. When Timothy Zahn wrote Heir to the Empire, Thrawn became this very iconic villain, because he was different than anything we'd seen before." Filoni would add. "He wasn't another helmet-wearing, lightsaber-wielding bad guy, you know? There's a lot of pull to make characters that are like Vader, because it is so iconic."

"But the boldness that Tim had was to make somebody that wasn't like that, that didn't have those abilities, but could fight in a different way. In the words 'Star Wars,' the 'war' part of it -- him being a Grand Admiral, a leader, a military strategist, a Moriarty archetype, someone that will out-think you, out-strategize you -- that really resonated," the creative mused. "He's a critical player in this time period. We're fortunate to have that character, and fortunate to have Lars [Mikkelsen] playing him."

What's Different About Thrawn This Time?

During the trailer at Star Wars Celebration, some fans noticed that Mikkelsen's voice sounded a little different. The Thrawn actor says that there's no reason for concern. In his own interview with Empire Magazine, the star explained that there's some nuance between live-action and animated performances.

"I'm not losing the voice, but I am tweaking it into live-action," Mikkelsen explained. "When you do an animated character, there's a whole melodious approach. When you're there as a real person, that would be just slightly too much."

He continued, "I love the way he rises through the Empire, and the way he carries himself in that environment to become somebody. And then of course, how can you not like a very clever villain? Thrawn takes the time to understand his opponent's culture, and what they're about. It's lovely to be playing that."

What's Coming In Star Wars: Ahsoka?

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 excited to have Thrawn back in the fold? Let us know down in the comments!