Lars Mikkelsen finally made his long-awaited live-action debut as Grand Admiral Thrawn in the recent sixth episode of Ahsoka and he immediately gave a threatening presence the moment he appeared on screen.
However, before his debut, Mikkelsen's casting as the live-action version of the character received mixed reactions from fans despite already voicing him in Rebels although they had warmed up to him when the episode aired.
There's also the fact that the voice cast in the animated series did not reprise the roles in live-action while Lucasfilm made an apparent choice to do the opposite for Thrawn.
Now, the creator behind the series has addressed why they made the decision to retain Mikkelsen in the villainous role.
Also Read: Ahsoka: Thrawn Creator Expresses Excitement Over Villain's Live-Action Debut
Dave Filoni Defends the Decision to Cast Lars Mikkelsen as Thrawn in Ahsoka
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, showrunner Dave Filoni defended their decision to cast Mikkselsen to play the live-action version of Grand Admiral Thrawn in Ahsoka, reprising the role from Rebels.
He explained that, while they considered other actors for the role, Mikkelsen was always their first choice to play Thrawn due to his iconic voice that he knew couldn't be recreated when he jumps to live-action.
"It's a very considered decision. You know, you have to like it. He was in Rebels obviously and I loved working with Lars. He's very fun. It was a very big challenge to cast the voice," Filoni said.
"How do you find a voice for a character that everybody has read, pictured, probably in a different unique way? Eventually, that led me to Lars and we were all very happy with his performance in Rebels.
The showrunner concluded, "I couldn’t be happier. The minute, that I'm like 'No, It's Lars.' He's out there. He looks wonderful in blue. Not everybody does, so that’s a factor."
Regardless of the reactions from fans, Filoni is definitely standing by his decision, and, based on the reception of the sixth episode, we can pretty much say that he made the right choice even if it didn't necessarily happen with the other characters.
You can also add the fact that Mikkelsen has been an experienced actor for decades like his brother Mads and there's no doubt that adding a great talent will always be good for a project.
New episodes of Ahsoka premiere every Tuesday night on Disney+.
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