Natasha Liu Bordizzo says Sabine is a 'stubborn cookie' on Ahsoka
"The attack we all anticipated never came. The once invincible Empire began to fracture. The small rebellion had become bold. And with a decisive victory at the Battle of Endor, the Emperor's reign of terror came to an end."
That's the beginning of the narration that accompanies the final scene of Star Wars Rebels, and it's spoken by none other than Mandalorian insurgent and valued member of the Ghost crew Sabine Wren. But what's even more important is how the narration ends.
"As for me," Sabine continues, "I used to think that Ezra was counting on me to protect Lothal — the planet and the people he cared for so much. But one day, I realized there was more to it. There was something else I was meant to do. Ezra's out there somewhere, and it's time to bring him home."
Lucasfilm Ltd. Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) in 'Ahsoka'
Those were not only the final words spoken on Rebels — accompanied by Sabine and Ashoka heading off together to begin that search for Ezra Bridger — but they also seem to indicate the mission that we will finally see unfold when the live-action Ahsoka premieres this August on Disney+. We know Ahsoka is on the hunt for Grand Admiral Thrawn, and that Thrawn last disappeared with Ezra to parts unknown thanks to the efforts of the hyperspace jumping Purrgil (a.k.a. Space Whales).
Taking over the role of Sabine from Tiya Sircar (who voiced the animated version of the character) is Natasha Liu Bordizzo, and the actress explained her approach to adapting Sabine for live action. Did she pour over old Rebels episodes to learn all she could about Sabine's past, or prefer to go in fresh with the character and where she is now? We asked Bordizzo exactly that when she joined fellow series stars Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as guests on EW's Dagobah Dispatch podcast.
"I mean, it's a bit of both," says Bordizzo in terms of how she handled the original Rebels source material. "I watched it all with the intention of capturing the essence of the character and having almost this free storage bank of memories to go from, that they'd already worked so hard to create. It was awesome as an actor to have that. But then live action is so different. So I absorbed it all, and then forgot it all at the same time — somewhere in the balance of that."
Rachell Smith Natasha Liu Bordizzo of 'Ahsoka' taken at Star Wars Celebration
And how is the Sabine we meet on Ahsoka going to be different from the one we saw on Rebels? After all, we only got that one animated epilogue scene that showed a look into the future. What is Bordizzo's Sabine like now?
"She's been through a lot and she's still a stubborn cookie," says Bordizzo. "But I think that you find her at the end of Rebels, she was a huge part of the liberation of Lothal and many regard her as this hero, but she so does not feel that way about herself. She's only thinking about the obligation she has towards her friend. She's got that mission in mind, not her hero status. And she has got a huge journey to go on with Ahsoka, so we find her at the start of that."
Let's just hope this stubborn cookie doesn't crumble.
To hear our entire interview with Bordizzo, Dawson, and Winstead, check out the latest episode of Dagobah Dispatch.
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