How Ariana Greenblatt prepared for her Ahsoka role

Ariana Greenblatt has revealed how she prepared for her role in Ahsoka. Prior to Ahsoka, for which her role was kept under wraps, she was best known for her work as young Gamora in Avengers: Infinity War and as Sasha in the critically acclaimed Barbie movie.

Greenblatt appears in Ahsoka episode 5, “Shadow Warrior.” As Ahsoka Tano confronts her past and her trauma, Greenblatt appears as a younger version of Ahsoka at the beginning of the Clone Wars and at the end of the conflict during the Siege of Mandalore.

Despite the younger appearance, this version of the character is still mentally the adult Ahsoka played by Rosario Dawson. This brings an additional layer of complexity to the role that goes beyond just playing a teenage Ahsoka in some flashbacks.

In a video recorded before the SAG-AFTRA strike, Greenblatt spoke about how she prepared to play this version of Ahsoka. Check out the video and her response below:

"“I watched a ton of Clone Wars episodes. When I was getting ready for rehearsal and all of that, it was just always on in the background.”“The little plot twist in this episode is yes, although I am 13/17-year-old Ahsoka, Ahsoka is still Rosario’s Ahsoka mentally. So I had to combine the characteristics, and combine how Rosario talks. I visited Rosario on set and I kind of just got to watch her work and observe how she would walk and talk, and everything Ahsoka. I just soaked up all of her body language because I really, really, really wanted to do it right.”"

Will Ariana Greenblatt play Ahsoka again?

Greenblatt’s performance is one of the many elements of Ahsoka that continues to be praised and celebrated. The performance speaks for itself and is even more impressive after hearing her share her passionate preparation for the role.

The enthusiastic response to Greenblatt’s Ahsoka has left many fans clamoring for more, with some expressing interest in a live-action Clone Wars series that would also feature Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker.

A live-action adaptation is unlikely to happen since The Clone Wars is already a complete, 7-season animated series. In movies, television, video games, and publishing, Star Wars tends to tell new stories rather than just adapting the stories that already exist. While seeing more of Greenblatt as Ahsoka and Christensen as Anakin would be fun, there is no need to do a live-action adaptation of a beautiful and extensive animated series that already exists.

There are still ways that Greenblatt could reprise the role, though, especially if there is an Ahsoka Season 2. Instead of playing adult Ahsoka in teenager form, she could return for more straightforward flashbacks that lend more insight into Ahsoka’s life, such as flashbacks during the Clone Wars.

There are more gaps later in Ahsoka’s life, particularly between Star Wars Rebels and her live-action debut in The Mandalorian season 2. These gaps include how Ahsoka got off Malachor after returning from the World Between Worlds, her initial training with Sabine Wren, and what Ahsoka was doing during the original trilogy.

As Greenblatt grows older, Ahsoka or another live-action project could bring her back to help fill in some of these gaps.

Whether or not Greenblatt returns to Star Wars, she nailed this role and is one of the primary reasons “Shadow Warrior” is already a beloved episode.