Star Wars is often perceived as a culturally significant phenomenon, yet even those working within its universe occasionally feel out of touch with its vast lore. This is understandable: Star Wars thrives on diverse perspectives, catering to fans and newcomers alike. For actor Eman Esfandi, diving back into the lore significantly enhanced his experience of portraying his character in the series. Gaining insight into the intricate world of Star Wars allowed him to connect more deeply with the narrative and his role within it.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Esfandi reflected on his initial lack of Star Wars knowledge. Despite his determination to embody the character of Ezra—expressing his strong desire to portray the live-action version of the Rebels character long before auditions began—he admitted that he only immersed himself in the Star Wars universe after wrapping up filming. “I wasn’t a Star Wars person before the show. I just didn’t grow up on it,” Esfandi shared with THR. “But after we shot the show, I inhaled all of it for six months.” This newfound knowledge prompted him to reevaluate a specific moment in his performance as Ahsoka, particularly the scenes where Sabine Wren reunites with her friend after years apart, filling him in on everything that transpired since the climax of Star Wars Rebels.
“When Sabine was filling Ezra in, I also didn’t know much about it. Once I got to know everything, it just made that scene twice as funny,” Esfandi remarked. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was how they filled Ezra in? That’s hilarious.’” The humor stemmed from the contrast of his character’s obliviousness to the extensive events that shaped the galaxy while he was absent, which resonated with Esfandi’s own journey of learning about the franchise during his preparation.
Of course, a performer doesn’t need to be an expert on the lore to deliver an outstanding performance—Esfandi effectively brought an older Ezra to life in Ahsoka, even with limited exposure to the source material during that pivotal moment. In fact, this lack of familiarity could enhance the character’s authenticity. After all, Ezra was born on the day the Republic transformed into the Galactic Empire, and he vanished from the galaxy a year before the events of A New Hope. Knowing he was in an entirely different galaxy, he missed a substantial amount of Star Wars history, leaving him with no way to catch up. Yet, there’s something inherently amusing—and quintessentially Ezra—about picturing him nodding along as Sabine summarizes the events, only to later discover the staggering developments that occurred in the galaxy, which he finds utterly mind-blowing.
This is indeed a humorous scenario! Especially for someone like Ezra, who has tenuous connections to the individuals involved in monumental, galaxy-altering events. The thought of Ezra watching historical holo-documentaries about the galaxy’s civil war upon his return, learning that it culminated in Ahsoka’s former mentor being rescued by his child—and had a child to begin with—who became the face of the Rebel Alliance in his absence, alongside that politician’s daughter he met only once, or that Palpatine, as far as he knew, never managed to engage in dark side shenanigans with the World Between Worlds, is absolutely hilarious to me.
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