Ahsoka: Hayden Christensen changed Eman Esfandi's views on Star Wars

Getting any role in a Star Wars project is a big deal, and for actor Eman Esfandi, bringing a character who was well-known and loved must've been an even bigger deal.

Esfandi portrays Ezra Bridger in Season 1 of Ahsoka, a character that fans grew to adore by the end of Star Wars Rebels. For months after filming on Ahsoka got underway, Esfandi's casting remained a secret, but the actor was already filming well before Lucasfilm confirmed that he was on board to play the young Jedi.

According to Collider, despite filming for hours on set, Esfandi told fans at the Calgary Expo's "All About Ahsoka" panel that it wasn't until he watched the Force ghost Anakin scene at the end of the series that it hit home for him that he was in Star Wars. He explained, "I was on set probably till 10 or 11 PM in the backlot, late night, long day. So you get kind of delirious and loopy. The night went on, and it got late, way up to [around] 3 AM, so I'm super loopy."

While on set until 3 AM, the actor bonded with Hayden Christensen over their favorite hobbies, such as tennis. Although this was probably an exciting memory for Eman, it wasn't until later that something he experienced made him understand Hayden's stature and importance in the saga and how lucky the actor was to be cast in a storied franchise like Star Wars.

"And then, sure enough, it's his time to go on the mound where Ahsoka and Sabine both see him at the end of this series. And it's obviously a very mystical scene, and I'm watching it, it's 3 a.m. and I'm there with Dave Filoni ’s wife, and we're watching it. And I'm like, 'Wow, what is this world that I'm in?' I got emotional like I woke up. So that was weird. And I was like, 'Oh, this is Star Wars, like The Star Wars.' He sort of epitomizes it in a way for me."

- Eman Esfandi.

Esfandi "woke up" just in time, as Ahsoka has been greenlit for a second season and Rosario Dawson is already looking forward to returning to the set. Ezra Bridger's role will continue through Season 2 and likely, beyond it, including the upcoming Mandalorian era movies.

As for Eman's character, Ezra Bridger's story arc, Ezra made it home at the end of Ahsoka and reunited with Hera Syndulla and Chopper. All of Ezra's fans now want to know what role he'll play in a galaxy that's under the threat of Thrawn's return. It's a dose of Deja Vu for Bridger, who helped save Lothal from Thrawn at the end of Rebels Season 4 before the two disappeared into the Unknown Regions.

Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.