Rosario Dawson Reveals How Her Live-Action Ahsoka Was Partially Inspired By A ‘Lord Of The Rings’ Character

Thanks to her prominent role in The Clone Wars animated series, Ahsoka Tano is a fan-favorite in the world of Star Wars. So when Rosario Dawson was tapped with the daunting task of playing the first live-action version of the beloved character, she received some surprising inspiration for the role. In a new interview, Dawson revealed that The Mandalorian showrunner Dave Filoni, who shepherded Ahsoka through both The Clone Wars and Rebels, told her that the wayward Jedi is in a similar place as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings. Via StarWars.com:

“It was just interesting playing with an amalgamation of all that,” Dawson says. “I wanted to kind of have some her playfulness and her fun — the cocky eyebrow thing that she does. You know that she’s got that feistiness. You know that she’s willing to push the rules a little bit in order to get what needs to get done. But I also really like that she does have that wisdom. She’s gone through a lot. She’s really gone through a lot of things. And she’s grounded, more than when you first meet her as a young teen. It was really fun to find moments to throw homages to the different aspects to Ahsoka that I’ve always loved.”

Dawson’s portrayal of Ahsoka has been a smash hit with Star Wars fans who are receiving much credit for the actress landing the role. She recently revealed to Vanity Fair that Filoni saw tweets fan-casting Dawson and Ahsoka, and he kept them in his back pocket in case he ever got the chance to make a live-action version of the animated hero. Clearly, those tweets came in handy.

(Via StarWars.com)