Rosario Dawson, at the moment, is probably best known for her growing role in the Star Wars universe. She assumed the coveted role of Ahsoka Tano in The Mandalorian, and later in an episode of The Book of Boba Fett. All of this is ahead of the launch of a full season of Ahsoka, which will introduce Grand Admiral Thrawn while also bringing Star Wars Rebels characters to life in live-action. But to many of us, Dawson is a key member of Kevin Smith’s View Askew-niverse, and has been delivering outstanding performances in recent Kevin Smith movies, up to and including Clerks 3, which the director almost didn’t get to make.
Rosario Dawson appeared in Clerks 2 as Becky, a manager at Mooby’s who ends up falling in love with Dante (Brian O’Halloran). It’s really one of Dawson’s best parts, and she brought an emotional weight to that relationship in a surprising way in Clerks 3. As many know, Kevin Smith was inspired to write Clerks 3 after suffering a devastating heart attack. And when Dawson spoke with us as part of Star Wars Celebration, we brought up her excellent work on the film, which caused her to say:
It’s shocking to think that we might not have had him. That heart attack he had, they call it the Widow Maker for a reason. And I think that he had a previous iteration of the (Clerks 3) script that was tossed out, and he made this one. And I can’t even fathom what that was, because this one just felt so special. When you watch all three lined up together, to see how he’s grown as a filmmaker, and what we got with this – as heartbreaking as it was – it feels really beautiful. I’m grateful to be a part of it, and really proud of the guys. That’s one of my favorite universes to be in!
Considering the fact that Rosario Dawson said that while promoting her significant role in the Star Wars universe is really saying something. But it is understandable. Kevin Smith writes some heartfelt dialogue (in addition to his dick jokes), and when the material lands in the hands of someone as gifted as Dawson, you can get a fantastic and memorable scene like this one from Clerks 3.
Clerks 3 worked as kind of Kevin Smith’s sendoff to that portion of his universe, and it was beautiful and appropriate that Rosario Dawson got to be a part of it. Maybe she’ll continue to pop up in roles if Smith ever gets his Mallrats sequel off the ground, or chooses a different project.
In the meantime, we will be able to see Dawson carrying on the tradition of playing Ahsoka Tano in a brand news Disney+ series that may make you want to watch Star Wars Rebels all over again. Or it might make you hope that Kathy Kennedy puts Ahsoka in one of the three movies that the studio announced will be coming… some day in the future.
