Rosario Dawson talks Ahsoka Tano, responds to transphobia allegations

Rosario Dawson and The Mandalorian showrunner Dave Filoni talk about Ahsoka Tano’s debut, Baby Yoda’s real name, and more.

Rosario Dawson made her Mandalorian debut in the most recent episode, “The Jedi,” and she was a hit. She had the task of bringing to life Ahsoka Tano, a beloved character voiced by Ashley Eckstein on animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. There was a lot to live up to, but if the internet’s response is any indication, she and showrunner/director Dave Filoni pulled it off.

And to think, she got the role basically because people started to fan-cast her in it. “Someone tweeted me and fan cast me,” Dawson told Vanity Fair. “I retweeted back and I was like, ‘Absolutely, yes please’ and ‘#AhsokaLives.’ And apparently that got the attention of someone who has been doing the Star Wars press for years. She forwarded it to Dave Filoni. That kind of started a whole thing. I was like, ‘Oh my goodness, did I just get fan cast in something?’”

Yep, internet chatter actually resulted in someone getting a role, although it was Filoni’s meeting with Dawson that sealed the deal. “When I met Rosario, I just knew she was right for Ahsoka,” Filoni said. “Yes, there was the tweet and her interest in the part; yes, she has been in action movies and is a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy stories; yes, she knew Hayden Christensen and pictures of them together look like Anakin and Ahsoka. But in the end, when I met her and we talked, I just knew.”

But not everyone was thrilled with the choice, particularly those concerned over a lawsuit filed against Dawson and some of her family members filed in 2019. The plaintiff was Dedrek Finley, a trans man who had been living with the family and working as a handyman for them; he’d known them for decades and was a family friend. Finley alleged incidents involving discrimination, verbal abuse, misgendering and physical assault.

Since then, Finley’s lawyer has left the case, and 18 of the 20 claims have been withdrawn without settlement, including all of the ones filed against Dawson herself. The two that remain involve an alleged physical altercation between Finley and Dawson’s mother. With that background, Dawson addressed the issue.

“Well, firstly, I just want to say I understand…why people were concerned, and are concerned. I would be, too, if I heard some of those claims,” she said. “But I mean, as we’re seeing right now in these past months, and just recently actually, the truth is coming out. Every single claim of discrimination has been dismissed by the person who made them, and as you’ve said, the fact that this is coming from someone I’ve known since I was a teenager, the better part of my life, and who my family was trying to help as we have many times in the past, it really just makes me sad. But I still have a great empathy for him.”

"The reason that all of the discrimination claims were dropped is because they didn’t happen. I was raised in a very inclusive and loving way, and that’s how I’ve lived my entire life. I’ve always used my voice to fight for, lift up and empower the LGBTQA community, and use my platform to channel trans voices, in fiction and nonfiction work that I’ve produced and directed. So I feel the record is really clear."

We’ll see if this clears up some of the objections about Dawson online.

In the meantime, “The Jedi” did a lot to advance the mythology of the show, most notably by giving Baby Yoda a name: Grogu. Apparently, that name was chosen by series creator Jon Favreau right at the beginning. “I thought one of the most compelling things about introducing Ahsoka is that she is one of the few, few people that we could encounter in a story and she would say, ‘All right. I met someone like him. I’ve only ever seen one other being like this,'” Filoni explained.

"I felt that if anyone would know or understand the Child’s history it would be Ahsoka. She has such a long history as well. By having her relate the story it also helps the viewer to understand some of her own backstory. This is similar to when Obi-Wan tells Luke about his father’s history. Through the story about Anakin, you are getting a look at Obi-Wan and his backstory as well. A lot of the campfire scene, as I call it, is shaped around that scene between Obi-Wan and Luke in A New Hope."

Intriguingly, Ahsoka references Anakin Skywalker’s turn to the Dark Side when talking about Baby Yoda (Dawson still tends to call him that, even though she knows his real name now), suggesting she fears something similar could happen to him. “She knows what could happen if you go even remotely to the Dark Side,” Dawson said. “I love that she throws a line in this about Anakin. She knows what could happen even to ‘the best of us’ when fear and anger take root, and she’s so vigilant about that. She is a lonely character, I think. But the Force is compelling her to just continue to do good.”

"I love that she is this wanderer character who is going to just do good in the universe. The Jedi Order has disappeared in many ways, it’s so fractured, and so many people are targeted. She’s lost so much. She had left that Order under duress, and she’s just been finding her way. And since the very beginning, the way that has been pulling her is to be vigilant, and to be brave, and to be wise, and to always have her eye set on rooting out evil. And I think that’s one of the reasons why so many love her. It’s why I love her. She represents truly the best of the Jedi, you know?"

It certainly sounds like Dawson has given the character a lot of thought. Will she return as Ahsoka? Anything is possible, and as always, the rumors are flying…

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