Ahsoka’ Star Rory McCann Says It’s an “Honor” to Take Over From the Late Ray Stevenson

Game of Thrones icon Rory McCann will take over from the late, great Ray Stevenson as fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll in the upcoming second season of the Disney+ Star Wars series, Ahsoka. Following Stevenson’s passing on 21 May 2023, aged just 58, the studio turned to McCann to continue Stevenson’s legacy as the captivating new character, with the actor now saying to MovieWeb’s own George Edelman that it was an “honor” to take over the role and join the ever-expanding world of Star Wars.

“It’s another level, another galaxy, far, far away. I still am pinching myself. This is actually happening under not great circumstances, with Ray Stevenson passing, and hell of a big shoes to fill. But what a great honor. I’m practicing with a lightsaber every night in my back garden. I can’t believe it. I remember being a little boy in the queue for the Star Wars, the first one in 1978 or whenever it was, I remember, and I can’t believe I’m part of this.”

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Baylan Skoll’s journey was only just beginning in Ahsoka Season 1, with the former Jedi, who survived their destruction during Order 66, finding the Mortis Gods, large statues of powerful Force-users introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars. McCann will continue the saga of Skoll, with the actor teasing plenty of action for the character in the second season.

Rory McCann Teases a Lot of Lightsaber Action for Baylan in ‘Ahsoka’ Season 2

Disney+

Of course, Rory McCann is no stranger to swinging a large weapon around following his time as Sandor Clegane, aka The Hound in Game of Thrones. Continuing, McCann explained the differences between fighting as The Hound and fighting with a lightsaber, revealing that he isn’t afraid to make a mess when practicing his fighting skills…

“Every single place I live in, I move about a lot, but every single place… my ceilings have got scratches or broken lights because I get the swords out, (or now) lightsabers. It’s terrible. I can’t help it, especially after a couple of drinks…I’m not really allowed to talk about it much. But Baylan’s character, you can see that already, it’s more samurai. It’s more balanced. It’s not like the hound that he’s going to chop you in half. [Baylan] holds himself completely differently.”

Beloved Star Wars: The Clone Wars character Ahsoka Tano finally made her live-action debut during the second season of The Mandalorian, in which she was portrayed to perfection by Daredevil star Rosario Dawson. Developed by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni for Disney+, Ahsoka Season 1 debuted back in 2023, and finds the former Jedi Padawan investigating an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy while making allies and enemies as she hunts down the villainous Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Alongside Rosario Dawson in the title role, the rest of the cast of Ahsoka includes Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla, Eman Esfandi as Ezra Bridger, Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma, Anthony Daniels as C-3PO, and Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn, as well as Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka’s former Jedi mentor.

Ahsoka Season 2 is all set to start filming in the United Kingdom and will once again debut on Disney+.

Ahsoka

Release Date

August 22, 2023

Network

Disney+

Directors

Steph Green, Jennifer Getzinger, Peter Ramsey, Rick Famuyiwa

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