Eman Esfandi crushed his performance as Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka — available to stream with a Disney+ subscription — so much so that we kinda feel Star Wars' future rests on his shoulders, among others. For those that agree, it might be surprising to hear about the actor's lack of prior Star Wars knowledge in regards to Ezra's big reunion with Sabine Wren, which adds a fun layer onto an already great scene.
When Sabine and Ezra finally reunite in Ahsoka, the two friends spend time recapping what they'd been up to ever since the latter was transported to the furthest reaches of the galaxy at Star Wars Rebels' conclusion. Eman Esfandi spoke to THR about the scene and revealed that when Ezra was learning about Sabine's adventures in his absence, it was just as much of a Cliffsnotes experience for the actor himself. As he put it:
I wasn’t a Star Wars person before the show. I just didn’t grow up on it. But after we shot the show, I inhaled all of it for six months. So, when Sabine was filling Ezra in, I also didn’t know much about it. Once I got to know everything, it just made that scene twice as funny. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that was how they filled Ezra in? That’s hilarious.’
Eman Esfadi didn't watch any Star Wars Rebels ahead of playing Ezra Bridger, as not to influence his own performance, and had the support of the Ahsoka team in doing so. As we covered in the past, Esfadi has talked about why he didn't watch Rebels or Ezra's past appearances while prepping and filming the live-action role, and it was because Dave Filoni and others told him he was already capturing the character exactly how they wanted.
As mentioned, of course, the actor did take a deep dive into all things Ezra after the production was complete, and he will likely be up to date on any upcoming Star Wars movie or show that the character may be involved in.
Star Wars Rebels superfan Laura Hurley has a humble request.
And while we don't know when Eman Esfadi will appear as Ezra Bridger next, we still have his phenomenal performance to look back on in Ahsoka Season 1 in the meantime. As a fan of the character in either medium, I'm delighted that not watching the animated series worked out in his favor, since the fanbase may have been far less kind had he totally dropped the ball and then revealed he avoided the source material. I would say that, in practice, it probably helps to at least read up on things, if not to partake in the vocal performance, but not every actor feels the need to do that when finding their take on a character.
With more Thrawn on the way as Star Wars heads into 2024, it only seems logical that another showdown with Ezra Bridger is inevitable. He's spent years at odds with the villain, and probably knows him just as well as anyone in the Rebellion can. He also was someone who successfully outsmarted Thrawn, which doesn't happen often. If we don't see these two face-off again in Dave Filoni's upcoming Star Wars movie or in one of the shows currently available to watch with a , I'll be very disappointed.
Ahsoka Season 1 is available to stream right now on Disney+, along with some other great Star Wars content. As someone who always finds winter as a great time to revisit the franchise, I would advise a re-watch of all of the live-action Star Wars shows to anyone needing to feel excited about the franchise in 2024.
