Mary Elizabeth Winstead recently made her debut as fan-favorite Rebels character Hera Syndulla in the recently-premiered Star Wars series Ahsoka which also serves as a continuation of the beloved animated series.
So far, a lot of fans are starting to warm up to the actress' turn as the Twi'lek pilot and they are now excited to see what else she has in store for the role in the subsequent episodes as the plot thickens further.
It also helps that Winstead is a talented actress who can do no wrong as proven by her various film and TV roles in the past. She also already has a connection to the franchise in her personal life since she is married to Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor.
Dave Filoni Had One Request to Mary Elizabeth Winstead Prior to Filming Ahsoka
In an interview with Empire magazine (via The Direct), Winstead opened up about the preparations that she made to play Hera Syndulla in Ahsoka.
She revealed that, prior to filming, showrunner Dave Filoni gave her a list of specific episodes of Rebels that she needed to watch that inform her performance in the live-action series.
"Dave gave me a list of episodes and specific scenes. There was a lot of looking at episodes that focused on how much she loves to fly, and the way that turned on her spirit and her energy," Winstead said.
Just like her co-star, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, who plays Sabine Wren, also watched Rebels to prepare for the role prior to filming although she admitted that she stopped watching them once production began.
She shared, "I did not watch Rebels at all after we started filming. I wanted to separate that whole kind of expectation. I think it’s just healthy, because you’re finding a different truth in live-action."
As we've seen in the first three episodes so far, the events in Rebels still have major ramifications on the journeys of the characters in the current series so it makes sense that it was essential for the actors to watch episodes of the animated series to prepare for the role.
Also Read: Ahsoka Star Promises a 'Glorious' Rematch in Upcoming Episode
At the same time, Winstead is still giving her own take on the character, and, based on what we've seen so far, she has found a way to balance giving her own unique performance while still making it feel like the same character that we saw in the animated series.
New episodes of Ahsoka premiere every Tuesday night on Disney+.
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