UPDATED With More Pictures, Including Rosario Dawson’s: ‘Ahsoka’ Cast Members Share Their Behind the Scenes Photos Following End of Strike
The SAG-AFTRA strike has now ended, which means actors are allowed back to promote their projects. Of course, this came a month after Ahsoka wrapped its season 1 run on Disney Plus, but that didn’t stop the main cast from unloading their entire phone galleries on social media to finally celebrate they were part of a dream project with a dream team. Check out some of the behind-the-scenes pictures below.
UPDATE: Since the first time the story was posted, Ariana Greenblatt has shared a few more images, and actresses like Ivanna Sakhno and Rosario Dawson have joined the party too. Scroll down for those.
First, we have Natasha Liu Bordizzo (Sabine Wren), who didn’t really have a chance to have the spotlight on her during the promotional campaign, despite the fact that this was her story as much as it was Rosario Dawson’s. She wrote on Instagram on Thursday:
As you probably know, the strike has lifted . All I’ve wanted to say for these many weeks is thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the love on Ahsoka . Thank you for coming along with us on such an epic journey!! Sabine taught me so much, especially about receiving mentorship, love and guidance, even when you least deserve it. This show was made by a huge team of genuinely good, kind people (hi @dave.filoni) who are all obsessed with Star Wars and even with all the other incredible experiences that came along with it, that part stood out to me.
Alright now enjoy some fun snaps from set!! More to come!! @ahsokaofficial @starwars
P.s. We miss you Ray. We miss you Shawna. X
She posted a set of behind-the-scenes pictures, which are included below, and also some videos, which are available on the post.
Eman Esfandi was one of the big stories of the show too. His involvement was not kept under wraps, as his name was part of the show’s press releases and Ezra appeared via hologram in the trailers, but the extent of his role was surely hidden. He was introduced at the end of Part Six, and played a co-lead in the rest of the season, finally fulfilling Ezra’s arc that had started in animation years prior with Taylor Gray.
Esfandi was clearly over the moon about the role. He joined social media the day news of his casting broke, posted jokey messages on social media after the first trailer and having to sit out Star Wars Celebration, and tried his best not to break SAG-AFTRA’s strike rules while Ahsoka was airing while also trying to have the moment he’d been waiting his whole life for. Now, he can finally talk about it extensively, and he has. He posted on Instagram:
THE RUMORS ARE TRUE…
I am Ezra Bridger.
.
Thank you to everyone that worked on @ahsokaofficial for welcoming me with open arms into your beautiful @starwars family. ❤️
Growing up I wished for friends who loved what I loved (anime, cartoons, etc.) and little did I know it would be all of you. It’s an honor to work with people who pour their hearts and souls into this franchise and keep the Force so alive. Made it easy to go all in and follow suit. Thank you @dave.filoni & @jonfavreau for trusting me to bring Jabba the Hutt himself back home. There are so many more moments that went undocumented but deeply lived and loved while being a part of this project. To the fans… I’M HOME!!
.
.
Dearest Ray & Dearest Shawna,
Rest in beautiful peace and power
Just like Natasha Liu Bordizzo, he posted a series of pictures, included below, and also some fun videos, including a not-to-be-missed video of Ivanna Sakhno playing around on the exterior of the lot, smoking a cigarette while driving a toy speeder. That video is also linked below.
The greatest bts video ever thanks to @EmanEsfandi 😂 #StarWars #Ahsoka pic.twitter.com/1f2pCrScaD
— Ways Of The Sith 🎄⛄️ (@WaysOfTheSith) November 10, 2023
Speaking of people getting their moments to shine, Ariana Greenblatt. The actress was not only one of the revelations of the movie of the year in Barbie, but she also had a surprise appearance as teenage Ahsoka Tano in Part Five of the Disney Plus series. And much like her castmates, she was also over the moon about it, posting rule-bending pictures of young Ahsoka and Anakin with grateful messages that generated a ton of excitement online. Now, she’s shared another, more explicit thankful message with a beautiful picture beside it:
From my family to yours, Thank U, Thank U, Thank U for all the love & support, comment’s, reactions & just over whelming love you all have shown me, the cast & 600+ crew members/artisans who worked on Ahsoka “Shadow Warrior”
Im deeply grateful to the Star Wars family⚔️~snips
Diana Lee Inosanto also took her moment to shine. She’s admittedly older than the rest of the cast, but that only made her remarks resonate even more, as she’s been waiting for this moment for much, much longer. In her own, beautiful words:
“For Dathomir” or really “For Ahsoka”… as I finally get to express myself as an artist…an actress. I have yearned during the days of the strike, to share my level of love and gratitude that I carry in my heart & soul for my cast & crew of Ahsoka. Professionally, I am a late bloomer in my career as an actress, who for years was a struggling mother of a son with Autism, who was finally given the role of a lifetime. A miracle.
I am incredibly thankful to each and every member of my Ahsoka family …or as they say in Hawaii…my “Ohana” of Star Wars. My life has changed on a level I could have never dreamed. Thank you @dave.filoni for your vision of Ahsoka and for dreaming up Nightsister, Lady Morgan Elsbeth and allowing me to execute her essence on the screen. Thank you @jonfavreau for suggesting a martial artist could actually be called to take on the mantle of this kind of role. What an honor.
Carrie Beck, Colin Wilson and Kathleen Kennedy…my cup runneth over. I am so humbled by your belief in me. And that goes for the rest of production and our incredible directors…Steph, Peter, Dave, Jen, Geeta and Rick. To my cast members, @rosariodawson …our Queen…our Captain of Joy…so proud that we could combatively have that last battle… Talzin Blade to Lightsabers. What a way for my character to have a powerful exit.
@natashaliubordizzo , #maryelizabethwinstead , @emanesfandi @amazinghaydenchristensen , #LarsMikkelsen, @ivannasakhno …and our beautiful and extraordinary Ray Stevenson (who I miss)… I have grown so much being in your company. From our table readings on zoom to each day we spent on the sets, or just the quick passing “hellos” we gave each other in the hallways, I am so honored we could be the collective that created this extraordinary story in another galaxy far away. (More photos and notes of gratitude to come). Meanwhile, Ray and Shawna rest in peace and love. @ahsokaofficial @starwars #morganelsbeth #raystevenson #shawnatrpcic #ahsoka #dathomir #nightsister @lucasfilm @disneyplus
Ivanna Sakhno has also shared a picture on her Instagram page with the caption “Thank you for everything. It means a lot.”
And last but certainly not least, Rosario Dawson also uploaded a bunch of pictures from her gallery, including two of Ariana Greenblatt and two with Ashley Eckstein. The caption on her post was also remarkable, check it out below:
Now that I can share some moments of this remarkable journey, @ashleyeckstein , I wanted to start by saying thank you. Your talent, love and passion sears through every Ahsoka performance. Having you onset (and nailing our con photo routine) has the fan girl in me forever grinning. Thank you for visiting me in another galaxy.
Dear fierce @ariana_greenblatt , tiny and mighty. You do not play when you train and prepare. It was awesome to see you transform. You embedded so much heart into every moment-it was heartbreaking.
Both of you expanded and inspired in me memories, informing every day with a rich palpable history. You helped me turn dream into reality and I will forever be grateful to share in telling AHSOKA TANO’s story to the world, with you.
Cheers to all of the fans who have championed AHSOKA all of these years, keeping her story going and making my (our?!) dreams come true.
Miguel Fernández is a Spanish student that has movies as his second passion in life. His favorite movie of all time is The Lord of the Rings, but he is also a huge Star Wars fan. However, fantasy movies are not his only cup of tea, as movies from Scorsese, Fincher, Kubrick or Hitchcock have been an obsession for him since he started to understand the language of filmmaking. He is that guy who will watch a black and white movie, just because it is in black and white.
