Ahsoka: Eman Esfandi and Diana Lee Inosanto on Joining the Show, Ezras Final Line, and More

Following an in-depth conversation with Natasha Liu Bordizzo and Ivanna Sakhno, StarWars.com has released a second part of their Ahsoka post-strike interviews with the cast. This time, they paired up Eman Esfandi and Diana Lee Inosanto.



The two of them were a big part of the story of Ahsoka, both on and off-screen. Take Diana Lee Inosanto, who had almost given up on acting before Jon Favreau called her about The Mandalorian, and then, more than a year later, she found out her part was even larger than she had imagined:

The actress was also recently at LA Comic-Con, as The Cosmic Circus documented. There she said that not only she didn't think she'd ever be back -- but up until she watched Chapter 13 of The Mandalorian she didn't even know her character had a name:

The actress has talked before about the connection she formed with her father through Star Wars ever since they saw it together in the theater in 1977. But she also told StarWars.com about her autistic son, who gravitates toward these stories:

Inosanto is a prolific martial artist, and her talent was finally on full display during the finale, when she fought Rosario Dawson with the Blade of Talzin. Apparently, stunt coordinator Ming Qiu had some input on the story of that scene, and it was Inosanto who asked for the weapon to kill her character:

When asked about the significance of her character, she explained:

(L-R): Klothow; Claudia Black), Aktropaw (Jeryl Prescott Gallien), Lakesis (Jane Edwina Seymour) and Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto) in Lucasfilm's STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.



Another big story for the show was the casting of live-action Ezra Bridger, a dream come true for Star Wars: Rebels fans, Dave Filoni, and most importantly, Eman Esfandi. The actor also spoke to StarWars.com about how close he felt to the character:

He also explained his preparation process and how it did not involve rewatching Rebels on a loop. Instead, he took a deep dive into Star Wars lore through reading articles and watching videos on YouTube:

Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) in Lucasfilm's STAR WARS: AHSOKA, exclusively on Disney+. ©2023 Lucasfilm Ltd. & TM. All Rights Reserved.



Ezra ends Ahsoka by landing a shuttle on a New Republic ship and telling Hera 'I'm home'. That was a key moment years in the making for Dave Filoni and the fans. Eman Esfandi talked about the simplicity and the weight of that line:

The actor, who says he didn't grow up on Star Wars, took the opportunity to thank the cast of Rebels for their efforts to bring the character to the point where he picked it up: “I want to thank the whole original Spectre crew because we stand on the shoulders of giants in all of them.' He then added that it was a huge honor to be a part of something that teaches these morals of hope and kindness:

He wrapped it up with the message he hopes fans take away from his character's arc:

Ahsoka season 2 has not been confirmed yet, but Eman Esfandi is expected to return as Ezra Bridger at some point in the near future.



Check out the full interview with StarWars.com here.



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