Ahsoka: Sabine actor Natasha Liu Bordizzo talks new Star Wars role

STAR WARS REBELS - "The Lost Commanders" - Ahsoka sends the Rebel crew to find and recruit a war hero to their cause, but when they discover it is Captain Rex, trust issues put the mission at risk. This episode of "Star Wars Rebels" airs Wednesday, October 14 (9:30 PM - 10:00 PM ET/PT) on Disney XD. (Disney XD)SABINE
STAR WARS REBELS - "The Lost Commanders" - Ahsoka sends the Rebel crew to find and recruit a war hero to their cause, but when they discover it is Captain Rex, trust issues put the mission at risk. This episode of "Star Wars Rebels" airs Wednesday, October 14 (9:30 PM - 10:00 PM ET/PT) on Disney XD. (Disney XD)SABINE

Sabine Wren is coming to live-action, and Star Wars fans can’t wait to see her again for the first time since 2018.

At Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2022, it was officially confirmed that Natasha Liu Bordizzo would play the role of Sabine in the forthcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: Ahsoka. It was previously reported that Sabine would share a lead role with the series’ title character, though the casting wasn’t official until several months ago.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor talked about what it was like to keep her Star Wars casting a secret. As you might imagine, it wasn’t an easy feat.

"“I have been cast for a year now, so it’s been a while that I’ve been holding onto this. I thought I’d have to hold onto it ’til the show came out so the fact that I got to be part of Celebration was so special and unexpected. Yeah, I sent in a tape. I didn’t know what I was auditioning for. I read scenes from a completely different film that had nothing to do with Star Wars, so I wasn’t told it was for this. I saw the scenes and just by chance, my friend and I were like, ‘This kinda feels like a young Han Solo vibe kinda thing. Maybe you should emulate that.’ We weren’t given any information.”"

Clearly, the show’s producers and creators didn’t want the secret getting out that they were making a show about fan-favorite Togruta Ahsoka Tano. But they provided scenes that would force auditioning actors to channel their inner Sabine Wren anyway, and they knew exactly what they were looking for. Bordizzo fit the role.

Sabine was previously voiced by actor Tiya Sircar in Star Wars: Rebels. However, like fellow actor Vanessa Marshall, who voiced Hera Syndulla in the same series, she won’t be reprising her beloved role in live-action. It’s time to introduce new actors to these characters in a different storytelling medium, and these women are the ones who got lucky enough to have the honor.

Star Wars: Ahsoka will star Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano and Natasha Liu Bordizzo as Sabine Wren. While few details about the show’s plot and place in the timeline have yet to be revealed, fans can expect to be able to stream the series on Disney+ sometime in 2023.

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