The Mandalorian Star Sasha Banks Reveals How She Landed Koska Reeves Role

Credit: Lucasfilm

Credit: Lucasfilm

WWE superstar Sasha Banks made her successful Star Wars debut in TheMandalorian's 11th chapter and it's pretty safe to say at this point that fans were hella thrilled about her performance as Koska Reeves. Of course, this leaves the door wide open for her eventual return to the show along with Simon Kassianides' Axe Woves and Katee Sackhoff's Bo-Katan Kryze.

Now, in case you were wondering how Sasha. who's real name Mercedes Varnado landed the coveted role, the current WWE SmackDown Women's Champion shared juicy bits about her casting. In a new interview with Variety, Banks revealed that Jon Favreau personally reached out to her to become part of the series. She said: "So Jon Favreau came to me because he watched an interview that I did with ‘Hot Ones.' And he really liked me and got my contact information. Then on FaceTime, he asked me to be part of ‘The Mandalorian.' I was like, ‘Well, I cannot say no,' but I was so incredibly nervous because I didn't know if I was going to be able to do it with the WWE schedule. You know, we used to travel a lot."

Admittedly, Banks was a little apprehensive about accepting the role due to her tight WWE schedule. Thankfully, they were able to sort things out. She added: "But they made it work and everything happened. And it was such an incredible episode. I still just can't get over how awesome that was. Not only to be part of ‘Star Wars,' but one of legit the greatest episodes in the history of television like that. I could watch that all the time. That was such a badass introduction to the world of ‘Star Wars.' I'm so thankful I saved Baby Yoda! I cannot get over it. Oh my God."

The Mandalorian seems to be continuing its streak of creating new characters that fans end up adoring. Again, the favorable response Sasha's appearance has gotten could propel her to even greater heights and it could also mean that a return will always be a possibility. That would totally be good for her career should she consider giving Hollywood a try.


The Mandalorian Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+.

Also Read: Star Wars Actor Anthony Daniels Says He'll Never Retire From C-3PO Role