What The Cast Of Ahsoka Looks Like In Real Life
The latest project in the "Star Wars" brand's ongoing shift to the small screen is "Ahsoka," which debuted on Disney+ in August 2023. It centers around the tragic titular character, who first appeared in the 2008 animated film "The Clone Wars" as the Padawan of Anakin Skywalker and quickly became one of the most popular characters in that galaxy far, far away. She was originally voiced in her animated form and various subsequent appearances by Ashley Eckstein. However, when Ahsoka made her full, non-cameo live-action debut in "The Mandalorian," she was portrayed by Rosario Dawson, who played her again in "The Book of Boba Fett" and continues to do so in "Ahsoka."
The rest of the characters in "Ahsoka" are a mix of new additions to the universe as well as returning favorites. Among the latter, some new actors are playing those characters for the first time, while others are encoring from previous movies and/or series. Like any "Star Wars" project, the characters are a mix of generally human-like characters, creatures with much more unique appearances, and of course, the good ol' droids. As such, some actors and their "Ahsoka" counterparts don't look that different from one another, while others are completely unrecognizable. Let's see what they all look like outside the realm of "Star Wars."
Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren)
One "Star Wars" show that sometimes gets forgotten about by more casual fans is the animated series "Star Wars Rebels." It ran on Disney XD between 2014 and 2018 and took place between the films "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith" and " Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope." It introduced several characters that have maintained a continued presence in the "Star Wars" universe, including Sabine Wren — a troubled young Mandalorian who made her live-action debut in "Ahsoka," played by Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
Bordizzo made her screen debut in Netflix's 2016 sequel to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." She's also appeared in the films "The Greatest Showman" and "Guns Akimbo" as well as doing voicework for the DreamWorks/Netflix animated movie "Wish Dragon." Prior to "Ahsoka," Bordizzo had already added television to her resume with a main role on the Netflix teen drama "The Society" and a few episodes of the now-defunct streaming service Quibi's "Most Dangerous Game." In addition to acting, Bordizzo has also been a brand ambassador for Chanel and was the first-ever model of Chinese descent for Bonds, a clothing brand in her native Australia.
Evan Whitten (Jacen Syndulla)
Another carryover from "Star Wars Rebels" to appear in "Ahsoka" is Jacen Syndulla. Though he plays a more substantial role in "Ahsoka," his parents were both major "Rebels" characters and he was born during that show's run. Jacen is half-human and half-Twi'lek, with his mother being fellow "Ahsoka" character Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). Sadly, father and Jedi knight Kanan Jarrus didn't survive to even see the end of "Rebels" and therefore won't be appearing in "Ahsoka."
13-year-old actor Evan Whitten plays Jacen, and despite his age, he's built up quite the filmography already. He had already played roles on "Mr. Robot," "Nicky, Ricky, Dicky and Dawn," "The Rookie," and "The Resident" before he even turned 10. In 2020, he was a series regular on the Fox crime drama "Next." Though he has largely done television, Whitten's biggest pre-"Star Wars" project was the family adventure film "Chupa" in 2019. Whether Jacen Syndulla continues to play a major role in the "Star Wars" franchise — and if Whitten keeps playing the part — remains to be seen.
Lars Mikkelsen (Grand Admiral Thrawn)
There have been times where an actor who played a "Star Wars" character in live action later voiced that same character in animation. While it's more unusual, the reverse has also happened — and one such example is Grand Admiral Thrawn. While his origins go back to "Star Wars" novels and video games from the 1990s, he was first brought to the screen in "Star Wars Rebels," where he was voiced by actor Lars Mikkelsen. And Mikkelsen reprised the role when Thrawn was brought to life for "Ahsoka."
Fittingly, Mikkelsen's other work has consisted of a combination of live-action and voice projects. In terms of the latter, he is most often featured in the Danish dub of animated movies and series, including "Naruto," "Meet the Robinsons," "Arthur and the Invisibles," and "The Wild." On camera, he's been seen in "The Witcher," "House of Cards," and "Sherlock," as well as various Danish movies and television shows. And yes, he is related to Mads Mikkelsen — they are brothers.
Ray Stevenson (Baylan Skoll)
We're not going to bury the unfortunate lede on this one. Actor Ray Stevenson, who played Order 66 survivor Baylan Skoll in "Ahsoka," passed away in 2023 before the series even aired. It is one of two posthumous releases for the actor, with the other being the upcoming film "1242: Gateway to the West." Stevenson had been a presence in the "Star Wars" universe prior to "Ahsoka," having voiced Gar Saxon in both "Star Wars Rebels" and the 2008-2020 "Clone Wars" series.
Never afraid to appear in huge franchises or portray iconic characters, Stevenson also played The Punisher/Frank Castle in both 2008's live-action "Punisher: War Zone" and the animated series "The Super Hero Squad Show." He'd return to Marvel years later as Volstagg in the first three "Thor" movies. Other notable appearances include "The Walking Dead," "Dexter," "Vikings," and HBO's "Rome." His last major film role was the 2022 Indian action epic "RRR," which became a surprise hit in the U.S. thanks to it coming to — and receiving a big push from — Netflix.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Hera Syndulla)
The aforementioned Hera Syndulla isn't just the mother to Jacen. She was another major "Star Wars Rebels" debut who had a younger version portrayed in "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," was mentioned during "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," and has made appearances in various "Star Wars" books and video games. "Ahsoka" sees her as an adult in live-action for the first time, and she is once again one of the most important characters in a "Star Wars" series.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead makes her debut both as Hera Syndulla and in the "Star Wars" universe in general with her role in "Ahsoka." As far as what she is best known for, it's tough to choose. Some would say it's playing Ramona Flowers in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World," a role she's reprising in the animated Netflix series "Scott Pilgrim Takes Off." Others might go with The Huntress in "Birds of Prey." She also had the distinction of playing John McClane's daughter Lucy in two "Die Hard" films. The more TV-minded might point to "Fargo," "Mercy Street," or even her early soap opera role in "Passions" as how they best know Winstead.
Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader)
Like a lot of the people who starred in the "Star Wars" prequels, Hayden Christensen got a lot of unfair grief and trolling for his portrayal of Anakin Skywalker — and spent a long time trying to distance himself from the franchise. But in 2019, he seemed to have made peace with his "Star Wars" history and playing Anakin in particular, willing to reprise his role in a vocal cameo in "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." In 2022, he fully returned to playing Anakin by appearing in five episodes of the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
And he didn't stop there, as he plays a digitally de-aged Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in two episodes of "Ahsoka." During his "Star Wars" hiatus, Christensen was in such films as "Factory Girl," "Jumper," and "Takers," as well starring in the Fox Family (later known as Freeform) TV series "Higher Ground." But he had also made a conscious decision to not build his entire life around being an actor, and has spent a lot of time on the farm that he purchased in 2007. He also branched out into fashion with his own clothing line in 2018. Christensen has a daughter with his "Jumper" co-star Rachel Bilson, though the couple is no longer together.
Dave Filoni (Chopper)
The various "Clone Wars" projects represented some of the first "Star Wars" properties that George Lucas seemed to loosen the creative reigns on a bit and trust others to have a little more control. The 2008 "Clone Wars" animated movie is the first "Star Wars" credit for Dave Filoni, who has been the guiding force on most of the franchise's small screen endeavors since. But he hasn't only been a behind-the-camera presence, as Filoni has also played various characters both in voice and live-action across several projects.
Beginning with "Star Wars Rebels," Filoni has voiced the droid C1-10p, more commonly referred to as Chopper — even though the credits for much of the series listed Chopper as playing "himself." In addition to appearing in various "Star Wars" video games as well as "Star Wars: The Bad Batch," Chopper eventually made the jump to live action in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story." The droid, still voiced by Filoni, also has a recurring role in "Ahsoka," and is still Hera Syndulla's droid as he always has been.
Ivanna Sakhno (Shin Hati)
After years of falling back on the same handful of villains over and over again, "Star Wars" has finally started to branch out and introduce new antagonists in recent years. "Ahsoka" has several of them, focusing on three in particular – Baylan Skoll, Marrok, and Shin Hati. So far, Shin Hati is already establishing herself as not only a new fan favorite villain, but a popular "Star Wars" character in general. She is a Dark Side Force user who was an apprentice of Baylan Skoll, and it's her mission to seek out and eliminate Ahsoka.
Shin Hati is played by Ukrainian actor Ivanna Sakhno. She has only appeared in a few English-language roles thus far, including the Hulu TV series "High Fidelity" as well as the movies "Pacific Rim Uprising" and "The Spy Who Dumped Me." Sakhno has been outspoken about the war between Russia and Ukraine, and has participated in various fundraising efforts to help Ukrainians who are being detained by Russian authorities or have been displaced or otherwise affected by the conflict.
Wes Chatham (Captain Enoch)
When the first "Ahsoka" trailers hit the internet, a lot of people wondered who the gold-faced stormtrooper was. Turns out it is Captain Enoch, the lead of Admiral Thrawn's guard. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" started the trend of teasing unique stormtroopers who aren't all just Jango Fett clones, and since then, we've seen a myriad of stormtroopers who are not only their own characters but important ones — and Enoch is no different.
The actor behind Enoch's intimidating gold mask is Wes Chatham, who is likely best known for being a series regular on all six seasons of "The Expanse." Chatham also played Castor in both "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" films. The actor played smaller roles in the movies "Tenet," "The Help," "W.," and "In the Valley of Elah," and was also a series regular on Showtime's 2005 "Barbershop" TV series. Prior to acting, Chatham had served in the United States Navy, where he reached the rank of Petty Officer Third Class.
Diana Lee Inosanto (Morgan Elsbeth)
Another "Ahsoka" villain — though just outside of the aforementioned trio — Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth is an Admiral Thrawn ally who first appeared in an episode of "The Mandalorian." She plays a larger role in "Ahsoka," having previously been sent to prison by the titular character, and now is out and looking for revenge.
Playing the role for all of the character's appearances thus far is actor and martial artist Diana Lee Inosanto. Lest there be any question as to her martial arts bona fides, she was the goddaughter of none other than Bruce Lee, with her father having studied directly under the "Enter the Dragon" star. Inosanto has also been a prolific stunt person and fight choreographer, which was her most steady show business job before she started getting more onscreen acting roles in the 2000s. She also added author to her many hyphenates in 2020 when she released the book "The Curious Mind of Sebastian," based on her experiences with her autistic son.
Paul Darnell (Marrok)
The latest wielder of a dual red lightsaber in the "Star Wars" universe is Inspector Marrok, one of the most mysterious new characters in "Ahsoka." There had been a lot of speculation as to what the character might look like under the mask, and whether it's an existing character or someone new. There's also the question of who voices the character, who thus far has only been heard heavily filtered. Some think it's Sam Witwer, who has played both major "Star Wars" characters as well as "additional voices" — the latter of which is all he's been credited as thus far in "Ahsoka."
However, one thing that is certain is that the man who is actually wearing the Marrok suit and has been doing the character's action sequences is Paul Darnell. Darnell is primarily a stunt performer, whose services have been utilized in such major productions as "Justice League," "Jurassic World," "The Matrix Resurrections," "Spider-Man: Far From Home," and many more. He's also done previous "Star Wars" work, doing stunts for "The Book of Boba Fett" and "The Mandalorian." He also played the roles of Night Wind Assassin and Trandoshan Gambler on "Boba Fett," and has made appearances on the reality competition shows "American Ninja Warrior," "Dancing with the Stars," and "MTV's Parkour Challenge."
Eman Esfandi (Ezra Bridger)
While Ahsoka Tano ultimately became the biggest breakout character from "Star Wars Rebels" — to the point that its follow-up series is named after her — it was Ezra Bridger that was technically that show's lead. Ezra got close with Sabine in particular, and she made it very clear in the first episode of "Ahsoka" how much she still missed him 10 years after his disappearance. Fans assumed that Ezra would show up in the flesh on "Ahsoka," but the show made them wait all the way until Episode 6 to finally see the character make his live-action debut.
The actor behind that debut is Eman Esfandi, who is still building his filmography and thus far has mostly appeared in short films. However, he did play a role in the Will Smith movie "King Richard," his only mainstream role prior to "Ahsoka." There had been rumblings that Mena Massoud, who played the lead in the live-action remake of "Aladdin," was being eyed for the role of Ezra — but whether he was officially in talks or it was pure speculation, things obviously went another way in the end.
Ariana Greenblatt (Young Ahsoka)
There are times when it is necessary to flash back to Ahsoka's involvement in the Clone Wars. But considering her time in that era was previously only depicted in cartoon form, it's not as though "Ahsoka" can just use clips from the animated series. So it had to be filmed in live-action, and it was far too long ago to have Rosario Dawson play herself in those flashbacks.
So stepping in as young Ahsoka in flashbacks is actor Ariana Greenblatt. There's a pretty good chance you know who she is, given that she was in a 2023 film that grossed over $1 billion at the box office. Greenblatt played Sasha in "Barbie," who joined her mother Gloria (America Ferrera) in helping Barbie take her world back from the Kens. Remarkably, "Barbie" wasn't even Greenblatt's first 10-figure movie — nor is "Ahsoka" her first time playing a younger version of a character in flashback — as she was also young Gamora in "Avengers: Infinity War." As for the future, Greenblatt is set to play Tiny Tina in 2024's "Borderlands," an adaptation of the long-running video game series.
Genevieve O'Reilly (Mon Mothma)
One of the oldest characters to appear in "Ahsoka" in terms of "Star Wars" history is Mon Mothma. The leader of the rebel alliance in "Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi," Mon Mothma was meant to return in "Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith," but all of her scenes were cut. The "Star Wars" universe wasn't yet done with this important character though, as she'd not only appear in animated form in "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" and "Star Wars Rebels," but would also return in live action for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," the series "Andor," and now in "Ahsoka."
First played by Caroline Georgiana Blakiston in the original trilogy, actor Genevieve O'Reilly took over the character of Mon Mothma beginning with those deleted "Revenge of the Sith" scenes. O'Reilly was asked back for "Rogue One," and has continued to play the character in both "Andor" and "Ahsoka." When not spending decades finally getting her proper chance to play a legendary "Star Wars" character, O'Reilly has been most prolific on television in Australia. She also appeared in the second and third "Matrix" movies, the Showtime series "Episodes," and voiced the character Moira in the video game franchise "Overwatch."
Clancy Brown (Ryder Azadi)
There are animated "Star Wars" characters that are based on existing live-action characters, and therefore have the look of a real actor. Otherwise, animators don't seem to go out of their way to make new animated characters look like the actors who voice them — which often makes it nearly impossible for that actor to reprise that role if the character jumps to live action later. But given that Ryder Azadi of "Star Wars Rebels" already looked like an animated version of his actor, Clancy Brown, it was an easy fit to have Brown play the live action version on "Ahsoka" as well.
Brown's history with "Star Wars" goes beyond Ryder Azadi, as the actor also played Savage Opress in the "Clone Wars" animated series. But despite a voice acting career that consists of over 100 different characters, there's no denying that Brown's pipes will always be most closely associated with playing Mr. Krabs of "SpongeBob SquarePants" for 23 years and counting. On the live-action side, Brown's recent television work includes "Billions," "Dexter: New Blood," "The Flash," and playing Ray Schoonover on multiple Marvel Netflix shows. As far as the big screen, his long career encompasses cult classics like "Highlander," "Starship Troopers," and "The Shawshank Redemption," with "John Wick: Chapter 4" being his biggest recent film.
Claudia Black (Klothow)
"Ahsoka" is really laying it on thick with new villains, adding three more in Episode 6 by way of a trio known as The Great Mothers. Though the Nightsisters are a coven of witches who have roots that go all the way back to the seminal 1994 novel "The Courtship of Princess Leia" — and who once again reared their dangerous heads during the "Clone Wars" animated series — the three that appear in "Ahsoka" are all new characters: Klothow, Lakesis, and Aktropaw.
Klothow is played by Australian actor Claudia Black. Black has a long history in sci-fi, having played Aeryn Sun in the series "Farscape" as well as Vala Mal Doran in multiple film and television iterations of the "Stargate" franchise. She's also made the rounds voicing characters in sci-fi video game franchises such as "Destiny" and "Mass Effect." Gamers will additionally know her as the voice of Chloe Frazer, a fan favorite character in the "Uncharted" series. Black hasn't done much live-action film work outside of "Stargate," but she did appear in "Pitch Black" and "Queen of the Damned."
Jane Edwina Seymour (Lakesis)
The highest rank among the Nightsisters is Mother, and Mother Talzin from "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" had power comparable to Emperor Palpatine's. With all three Nightsisters introduced in "Ahsoka" also having the rank of Mother, this suggests that they are as dangerous as three Palpatines — which makes them quite the formidable trio indeed.
The second of the three Mothers, Lakesis, is played by Jane Edwina Seymour, who has been a stage actor since 1986. However, her screen credits only go back to 2010, and include a lot of shorts, smaller roles, and non-speaking parts. For instance, she physically portrayed the Borg Queen in Season 3 of "Star Trek: Picard," but the character was actually voiced by someone else. Seymour isn't always seen but not heard, however, as she also plays a recurring role in USA's "Nova Vita" as well as appearing in two episodes of Prime Video's "Hand of God." On the movie side, Seymour played the role of Stacey in the 2018 movie "Fortune Defies Death," which was well-received on the film festival circuit.
Jeryl Prescott (Aktropaw)
The last of the three Mothers is named Aktropaw, and it's no coincidence that it sounds similar to the goddess Atropos of Greek Mythology. Atropos was one of the three Fates, goddesses whose job it was to guide people and events to their predetermined destinies. The other two Fates are Lachesis and Clotho, which of course is how Lakesis and Klothow got their names.
Previously best known as Atlanta Survivor Camp member Jacqui of "The Walking Dead," Jeryl Prescott plays Aktropow in "Ahsoka." She was set to be a potential major player in the Arrowverse when she brought Madame Xanadu to live action in the 2019 series "Swamp Thing," but the show was canceled after only one season. Prescott has also had multi-episode stints on the shows "All the Queen's Men," "Ray Donovan," "Big Little Lies," and "Nancy Drew." In 2014, she wrote, directed, and produced her first feature film, "Stand Down Soldier."
Paul Sun-Hyung Lee (Carson Teva)
Fan favorite pilot Captain Carson Teva has been making the live-action "Star Wars" series rounds. He debuted in "The Mandalorian," followed it up with "The Book of Boba Fett," and completed that hat trick with "Ahsoka." Some have suggested that Carson could be to the Mandoverse what Agent Coulson was to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for many years — a fun, crowd-pleasing presence that pops up and serves as the thread that ensures that each new thing is indeed connected to the last.
Playing Carson Teva in all iterations thus far has been actor Paul Sun-Hyung Lee. Before joining the "Star Wars" universe, Lee had already been known to many as Sang-Il Kim — aka Appa — on the Canadian sitcom "Kim's Convenience." While not the crossover hit that "Kim's Convenience" was, Canadian audiences also associate Lee with appearing on over 250 episodes of the improv-based soap opera "Train 48." But his highest-profile role so far is arguably still ahead of him, as Lee has been cast as beloved character Uncle Roh in Netflix's upcoming live-action "Avatar: The Last Airbender" series.
Shelby Young (C1-D1)
The most famous protocol droid in the "Star Wars" universe has been and probably always will be C-3PO, still making appearances in "Star Wars" media into the 2020s. But Threepio, as he's most commonly known, isn't the only protocol droid to ever have a presence on screen. "Ahsoka" adds a new one to that legacy in the form of C1-D1 — a dark red, C-series variation located in a scrapyard in the New Republic during the second episode.
According to the credits for the episode, C1-D1's performance artist is Chris Bartlett, who also did the same for multiple characters in "The Mandalorian," "The Book of Boba Fett," and "Obi-Wan Kenobi." But C1-D1 is voiced by Shelby Young, who has voiced several "Star Wars" characters — including Princess Leia — in various shows and video games. In addition to her many vocal performances and post-production dialogue work across numerous films and series, Young also had a long-running stint on "Days of Our Lives" and appeared in "American Horror Story" and "Everybody Hates Chris." She also enjoys a strong following on social media with popular YouTube and TikTok accounts.
Nelson Lee (Hamato Xiono)
Since it lasted only two seasons between 2018 and 2020, a lot of fans might not have been aware that the animated series "Star Wars Resistance" even existed. Airing on the Disney Channel at a time when the cable network wasn't getting as much attention — due in no small part to Disney+ launching right in the middle of the show's run — "Resistance" just didn't get the marketing push it needed. As of yet, almost none of its major characters have made the jump to live action, with the sole exception being Senator Hamato Xiono.
Though there unfortunately aren't all that many of them, devoted "Resistance" fans were no doubt pleased to see Senator Xiono pop up in "Ahsoka" as a hologram alongside Mon Mothma and others. Voiced by Tzi Ma in "Resistance," Xiono's live-action debut saw Taiwanese actor Nelson Lee take over the role. Lee played the Chancellor in Disney's 2020 live-action remake of "Mulan," has appeared on such shows as "Westworld," "Stargirl," and "Sneaky Pete," and portrayed multiple different characters across several "Law and Order" series.
David Tennant (Huyang)
Professor Huyang only appeared in two episodes of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" way back in 2012, but he still captured fans' hearts — likely due in no small part to the voice performance by David Tennant. Given that it had been more than a decade since, it wasn't known if Tennant would reprise the role on "Ahsoka" when it was revealed that the lightsaber builder was going to be a major character on the show. Luckily he did, and Huyang remains as endearing as ever.
Tennant is easily most widely known for playing the 10th doctor on three seasons of "Doctor Who," and detective Alec Hardy in "Broadchurch." He's also appeared in "Good Omens," "Jessica Jones," "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," and the highly underrated 2011 "Fright Night" remake. On the voice acting side, Tennant has been heard in "How to Train Your Dragon," "The Loud House Movie," "The Sandman," and took over the role of Scrooge McDuck for the rebooted "DuckTales" series after the passing of longtime portrayer Alan Young in 2016.
Rosario Dawson (Ahsoka Tano)
Easily one of the most popular "Star Wars" characters of all time that didn't debut in the Original Trilogy, Ahsoka getting her own series has seemed like a foregone conclusion ever since solo "Star Wars" projects first became a thing. She's one of the few characters who could have arguably carried her own film, but a series works much better for a deeper dive into her character and the allies and enemies around her.
Rosario Dawson's eventual path to playing the live-action Ahsoka actually began as a fan casting that Dawson caught wind of and threw her support behind. Typically, when such a thing happens, it ends up being little more than a cameo — like John Krasinski as Mr. Fantastic in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness." So for it to lead to a full-blown casting that has now spanned multiple projects — including a full-fledged Ahsoka series — is something special indeed. As for Dawson herself, her filmography is massive and tough to sum up in a few sentences, but among her more recent notable projects are "Clerks III," "Jane the Virgin," "Haunted Mansion," and various Neflix Marvel series, where she played a version of the deep-cut character Night Nurse.