Ahsoka Actor Lars Mikkelsen Loves Thrawn Because He's 'A Very Clever Villain'
When Lucasfilm announced Grand Admiral Thrawn would be appearing on the canonical animated series "Star Wars Rebels," it was a big deal for all of us "Star Wars" dorks. The cunning Imperial was introduced in Timothy Zahn's "Heir to the Empire" novel trilogy from the now-defunct Expanded Universe in the early '90s and quickly became one of the most beloved Big Bads in the franchise. It's not just his stylin' trademark white uniform or the way it complements the Chiss officer's natural blue skin and red eyes. What really makes Thrawn terrifying is that he's capable of incredible empathy and takes the time to fully understand and even appreciate his opponents, from their cultures to their psychology. He then proceeds to use this information to break them down piece by piece, so as to ensure their defeat is both swift and ever-lasting.
"Rebels" co-creator Dave Filoni carried these traits over into the show's iteration of Thrawn, with Lars Mikkelsen — who shares a knack for playing baddies with his brother, Mads Mikkelsen — bringing a perfect mix of calm and menace to the character's voice. So much so, in fact, it was hard to picture anyone but Lars Mikkelsen (who, his skin and eye color aside, also bears a strong facial resemblance to the animated Thrawn) playing the character in live-action. Wisely, however, Filoni elected against recasting the role for "Ahsoka," his impending "Mandalorian" spinoff series that doubles as a sequel show to "Rebels."
"I love the way he rises through the Empire, and the way he carries himself in that environment to become somebody," Mikkelsen told Empire Magazine. He added:
"And then of course, how can you not like a very clever villain? Thrawn takes the time to understand his opponent's culture, and what they're about. It's lovely to be playing that."
If it ain't broke...
"Star Wars" has seen mixed success adapting animated characters into live-action so far. The likes of "Clone Wars" and "Rebels" alum Ahsoka Tano (played by Rosario Dawson in live-action) and "Rebels" lead Zeb have translated well enough visually, although "Clone Wars" and "The Bad Batch" bounty hunter Cad Bane didn't go over so well in "The Book of Boba Fett." Should've had a bigger hat, that's all I'm saying.
Arguably, though, the bigger issue has been the changes to their personal philosophies. In particular, "The Mandalorian" has undercut Ahsoka's whole arc on "Clone Wars" — which ultimately saw her leave the Jedi Order — by playing down the idea of her being someone who doesn't necessarily abide by the Jedi Code. Encouragingly, though, Dawson has implied that "Ahsoka" will better convey the fact its namesake is not actually a Jedi and, hopefully, examine what that entails. Lars Mikkelsen indicated to Empire Magazine that he and Dave Filoni took a similar approach to adapting Thrawn for live-action, beginning with his appearance and vocals:
"I'm not losing the voice, but I am tweaking it into live-action. When you do an animated character, there's a whole melodious approach. When you're there as a real person, that would be just slightly too much."
The process of transforming Mikkelsen into Thrawn took two to three hours each day, but the actor felt it was worth it. ("It was fun. Because it's not every day you see a blue man.") Ideally, this will also extend to the character's masterful strategizing, especially now that it's looking more and more likely that Filoni is basically doing his own version of "Heir to the Empire," with Thrawn once again at the center of the storm.
"Ahsoka" begins streaming on Disney+ on August 23, 2023.