Lars Mikkelsen On How He Tweaked Thrawn’s Voice For ‘Ahsoka’
Anyone who has watched Star Wars Rebels will be thrilled that Lars Mikkelsen is returning in Ahsoka to reprise the role of Grand Admiral Thrawn, after first voicing the cool and calm Chiss villain in the animated series. However, his portrayal will be slightly different now he’s playing the role in live action.
Speaking to Empire Magazine via Collider, Lars mentions that while it will still sound like his voice in Ahsoka — presumably he will still be speaking in hushed tones — it’s being tweaked to lose its melodious nature, which apparently doesn’t translate too well into live action.
I’m not losing the voice, but I am tweaking it into live-action. When you do an animated character, there’s a whole melodious approach. When you’re there as a real person, that would be just slightly too much.
Mikkelsen also took a bit of time to explain what he loves about the character, referring to his meteoric rise through the ranks of the Empire to become someone of strategic importance. It’s unclear if he’s referring to the fact that the Empire traditionally views aliens with contempt, which makes Thrawn’s rise especially impressive, or if he’s just referring to his success more generally. It’s likely that Dave Filoni has informed him on some of the more important parts of Thrawn’s backstory.
He also enjoys playing a villain with such a high level of intelligence and sophistication.
I love the way he rises through the Empire, and the way he carries himself in that environment to become somebody. And then of course, how can you not like a very clever villain? Thrawn takes the time to understand his opponent’s culture, and what they’re about. It’s lovely to be playing that.
Thanks to a recent TV Spot, we now know exactly when we’ll be able to see Lars Mikkelsen reprise the role of Grand Admiral Thrawn. Ahsoka will be arriving on Disney Plus on Wednesday, August 23.
Josh is a huge Star Wars fan, who has spent far too much time wondering if any Star Wars character could defeat Thanos with all the Infinity Stones.
