Countdown to ‘Ahsoka:’ Revisiting Rosario Dawson’s Filmography
As part of our special release day coverage “Countdown to Ahsoka“, we thought it would be fun to take a closer look at Rosario Dawson’s filmography and some of the highlights of her career thus far (including, of course, her iconic role as Ahsoka Tano).
The Early Years
Rosario was only 15 years old when she had her movie debut in the hard-hitting drama “Kids“, released in 1995. She was discovered by Harmony Korine while living in New York City. She continued her career in indie movies and blockbusters, including Men in Black II and Rent. It was clear early on that Rosario was a talented actress. She was later cast in the critically-acclaimed Shattered Glass, featuring Hayden Christensen, who portrayed the disgraced journalist Stephen Glass.
Early 2000s
Dawson’s filmography continued to grow, but some of her most well-known roles were yet to come. She was cast in Sin City in 2005, followed by Clerks II, which helped to catapult her star further into the stratosphere.
Throughout the 2000s, there was a string of relatively more minor roles after she appeared in Death Proof in 2006. In 2008 she was cast as Emily Posa in the emotional drama Seven Pounds which also starred Will Smith in the lead role. Dawson’s versatility as an actress began to shine through as she continued to take on very different roles, each with unique challenges.
Voice Acting
Dawson has also lent her voice to animated movies and TV shows, including Robot Chicken, The Lego: Batman Movie and Justice League vs. Teen Titans.
The Marvel Universe
Dawson was cast as Claire Temple in the Marvel TV series Daredevil. She continued to portray the popular character in other shows, such as Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. It is currently unknown if Dawson will return in the upcoming show Daredevil: Born Again (I’m keeping my fingers crossed).
Recent filmography and TV shows
More recently, Dawson has had significant roles in various TV shows and films, including Dopesick in 2021, where she portrayed the tough and relentless Bridger Meyer. She also returned to the Clerks universe as Becky in Clerks III. In Disney’s Haunted Mansion, released this year, she joined a star-studded cast featuring LaKeith Stanfield, Owen Wilson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny DeVito, Jared Leto, and Tiffany Haddish.
Path to becoming Ahsoka Tano
Dawson’s path to success in the Star Wars universe goes back to 2017 when a fan tweet got her attention on Twitter. The tweet in question, which is no longer available, was aimed at Dawson and asked her to appear as fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano. Rosario’s reply to the fan sums up her love for the character, so it’s safe to say that she was hyped to portray Ahsoka even way back then. And this, in turn, got the attention of someone connected to the Star Wars press team, who then forwarded the details to Dave Filoni. Dawson has had many interviews over the years where she has mentioned playing Ahsoka and even noted that playing Ahsoka Tano would be on her “bucket list” of things she wanted to do.
So the passion was there, but would that be enough to get her in front of the people that mattered, namely Dave Filoni at Lucasfilm? With the help of one amazing digital artist named “BossLogic”, who created an image of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, the fans reacted positively. This also helped to get Dawson on Dave Filoni’s radar. Dawson has credited Boss Logic’s art as one of the reasons she was cast as Ahsoka Tano.
It's still so surreal to think about it, that this actually happened, it's amazing to live in a day and age where this is possible. Major love to @rosariodawson for being one of the real ones always showing love no matter where she is, means the world ❤️ August needs to hurry up!… pic.twitter.com/hztMNQVPRl
— BossLogic (@Bosslogic) April 8, 2023
Years later, Dave Filoni talked about finding the right person for the role of Ahsoka with Kathleen Kennedy, who advised that when he had the right person, he’d know it. And he did. The rest, as they say, is history. Dawson was confirmed for the role of Ahsoka Tano in 2020 and made her first appearance in season two of The Mandalorian. With the success of The Mandalorian and Rosario’s portrayal of Ahsoka Tano, it made sense to give Rosario her own TV show as the character.
And now we are less than a week away from the show’s debut on Wednesday, August 23. Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out our other “Countdown to Ahsoka” articles.
Meet Julie Gray, a passionate pop culture writer from Aotearoa, New Zealand. A lifelong Star Wars fan, her love for the franchise runs deep, with Luke Skywalker being her all-time favourite character and Anakin Skywalker coming in as a close second. Her outlook on the Star Wars universe is simple yet powerful - "All Star Wars is good Star Wars", a true testament to her undying love for this iconic franchise.
