Ahsoka star Rosario Dawson has revealed that she was in talks for the titular role even before the airdate of The Mandalorian season 1. Live-action Ahsoka first appeared in The Mandalorian season 2, with many assuming Dawson was cast shortly before the sophomore season began filming. However, Dawson has revealed that this was not the case, and the casting of Ahsoka in live-action was actually planned much further ahead of time.
In an extract from Total Film Magazine's coverage of the series ahead of the Ahsoka show's release date, Dawson outlined the process of being in talks for the role. The article explains that these talks were ongoing long before The Mandalorian season 1 had aired:
‘It was an interesting conversation when we approached The Mandalorian because it was a definite one-off. The contract was solely that episode. It was a test run for everybody involved, you know? And an opportunity to just explore what the audience felt. At that point, there was everything to play for. It could be anything,’ continues Dawson. ‘It could be more guest spots. It could be its own show. It could be lots of different potentials…’
At the time Dawson was having these conversations, Mando S1 hadn’t even aired, and while there was confidence internally about the show, no one knew for certain how audiences would react.
This is undoubtedly an interesting development, as it proves just how coveted Dawson was for the role of Ahsoka. As Dawson rightfully pointed out, the role has spiraled, going from a one-off appearance in The Mandalorian to The Book of Boba Fett and now her own TV show as the former Jedi.
