It must be a truly gratifying feeling to not only play a fan-favorite character but to be that character's official actor for a substantial amount of time. Harrison Ford's long-held wishes for the death of Han Solo aside, many in that position tend to forge a bond with both the role and their fans over the years, and it seems that the voice behind Star Wars: The Clone Wars' spunky young Jedi Ahsoka Tano knows that feeling rather intimately.
Ashley Eckstein, who has been the voice of Ahsoka Tano since the character debuted in the 2006 premiere of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, recently spoke about her time playing the beloved duel-lightsaber-wielding Togruta. While she might not be done with the role entirely, the 2020 revival and the true finale of that original series marked the end of her official run in the part. Some might find such an ending to be bittersweet (and some might even be open to the idea of playing their character forever), but Eckstein appeared to feel nothing but gratitude.
"I started recording the voice of Ahsoka in 2006 and never in my wildest imagination did I think I would be here in 2021 still talking about Ahsoka," Eckstein said to Comic Book Movie, "I'm just so grateful for the time that I've had to be the voice of Ahsoka Tano that that is how I choose to look at it." It's an admirable outlook to have, especially in a position where many might wistfully reminisce about how unfortunate it is to reach the end of an era. But Eckstein's ability to only focus on the good shone through in her interview, and apparently, it was also true of her entire time playing the character.
"I approached every kind of chapter with Ahsoka as a potential last chapter," Eckstein noted about her time in the role. "I don't ever take it for granted." While The Clone Wars did eventually become a series almost universally loved in the Star Wars fandom, it did experience a rather rocky beginning before finding its footing. As a result, Eckstein's strategy of assuming each episode could be her last not only shielded her from too much potential disappointment but also increased how grateful she ended up feeling when the show eventually took off.
Now, Ahsoka Tano has become almost a breakaway character in the Star Wars universe, earning a voice cameo (performed by Eckstein) in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and even making the move to live-action (played by Rosario Dawson). Sure, the upcoming Ahsoka series won't feature Eckstein as the character anymore, but that doesn't mean she isn't still proud of the work she's done and grateful for the time she got to do it.
Ahsoka Tano may be Dawson's character for the time being, but there's always the chance for Eckstein to return, perhaps for an Ahsoka Tano video game. Disney loves cramming its characters into every cameo and bit-part it can, after all. So here's to Eckstein for her years of service, and maybe fans can keep their ears open just in case.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is now available on Disney Plus.
Source: ComicBookMovie.com