Ahsoka Star Rosario Dawson Describes Her Grueling Training Program

Rosario Dawson went above and beyond as she prepared to become Ahsoka for the Disney+ Star Wars series.

Disney+

Summary

• Rosario Dawson underwent intense physical training to prepare for her role as Ahsoka Tano in the new Disney+ series.
• Ahsoka’s fighting style has some similarities to Anakin Skywalker’s lightsaber techniques, which required creative stunts and experimentation during filming.
• Ahsoka’s character in the series is making a transition and reconnecting with people from her past, while also facing the threat of Grand Admiral Thrawn.

Grand Admiral Thrawn will have his hands full if he dares to face off against Ahsoka Tano. The new Disney+ series Ahsoka gives the former Jedi her own show, which turns out to be a live-action, follow-up season to Star Wars: Rebels. The former Padawan of Anakin Skywalker has come a long way since her introduction in Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008). And actor Rosario Dawson underwent a grueling training regimen to prepare herself physically to play the show’s lead character. Dawson said during an interview in the pages of Star Wars Insider No. 220 (via Gizmodo):

“I trained two hours a day, seven days a week. And when we were filming, we would be shooting between seven to 12 hours of fighting, and then I’d learn the next fight. I’ve never worked on anything so physical before. It really was all encompassing. But I loved that, because that’s who Ahsoka is. It’s her! Every fiber of her being is on the line at every given moment, so it felt really good to have that strength. It was this amazing mental, emotional, physical experience.”

Ahsoka became Anakin’s apprentice after Star Wars creator George Lucas suggested the relationship to Dave Filoni. However, Ahsoka wasn’t with Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith when the young Jedi was seduced by the dark side of the Force and subsequently became Darth Vader. But Ahsoka’s aggressive, sometimes over-the-top fighting style definitely has its roots firmly planted in some of Skywalker’s own lightsaber techniques.

“Our stunt coordinator, Ming Qiu, looked at Ahsoka’s fighting style, and said, ‘That’s not physically possibly for a human, so let’s see what we can do to figure out how to do that move.’ We tried to do as many stunts as possible practically. We had ropes and pulleys and all kinds of things to make them work. There was a lot of experimentation, using technology that was developed while we were filming.”

Related: Star Wars: Ahsoka Tano’s 10 Best Quotes, Ranked

Dawson Trained Relentlessly to Better Her Performance

Disney+

One of the most beautiful moments for Rosario Dawson and her live-action interpretation of Ahsoka Tano was the opportunity the character had to meet Anakin’s son, Luke Skywalker, in The Book of Boba Fett. During the episode, they talk about Grogu. Luke wonders if “Baby Yoda’s” heart is in learning the Jedi way. But that was never a question when it came to Dawson’s real-life training in preparation for Ahsoka. Dawson said in the same interview:

“That’s the thing about this kind of role — you have to be able to do hard things. I did everything I could to be physically prepared every day, trying to get a good night’s sleep and eating well. I’ve mentioned it before, but Ahsoka is not some character I can just play and then dismiss when I take off the head montrals. It’s been a lifestyle shift in connecting to her and performing her. She’s in me.

She’d been aware of this potential threat with Thrawn and, though it feels like that moment has passed, she’s now gathered enough intel to know better. What is exciting at this moment, in Ahsoka, is we’re catching her as she’s making a transition and having to dive back into relationships and histories that she has with people. Things have definitely changed. The Rebellion might have been successful, but there’s a fracture that has kept everyone on their toes.”

In the upcoming Disney+ series, Ahsoka reunites with many of the beloved characters from her animated adventures on Star Wars: Rebels. And while Dawson’s training enabled her to tackle all the physical requirements playing Ahsoka requires, the former Jedi will find herself tested when the heir to the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) finally emerges. Check out the latest teaser for Ahsoka below:

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