One of the most renowned actors from the Star Wars franchise, Lars Mikkelsen has been a part of the fan-favorite saga for quite some time now. Famous for lending his voice to the notorious Imperial officer Grand Admiral Thrawn ever since 2016 for the third and fourth seasons of the superhit animated television series, Star Wars Rebel, he has come back to reprise his role in the currently ongoing live-action show, Ahsoka.
But before returning to the big screens for the live-action television series, Mikkelsen was left puzzled by a cryptic statement that the Ahsoka showrunner Dave Filoni made to him. Here’s why.
Dave Filoni’s Sly Statement To Lars Mikkelsen Before Ahsoka Left Him Puzzled
After giving a voiceover to his Star Wars Rebels character Grand Admiral Thrawn aka Mitth’raw’nuruodo from 2016 to 2018, Lars Mikkelsen thought that would be the last time he would get to play the character. However, a sly comment from Ahsoka director Dave Filoni left him puzzled and hoping for a possible return that would include him reprising the character in real life.
Talking to Entertainment Weekly, Mikkelsen recalled how, while shooting the last episode of the animated TV series, Filoni asked him if he had ever been to Los Angeles before. When he replied in negative, the filmmaker made a witty remark, saying,
“Well, let’s see if we can make that happen.”
Years later, The Witcher star shared with a laugh during the interview how he didn’t quite get what Dave Filoni truly meant by his cryptic statement.
“I didn’t really understand what he meant by that,” Mikkelsen said. “But then, about a year and a half after, he phoned me up, and I was game.”
Just like that, Lars Mikkelsen‘s assumptions about his time in the Star Wars franchise ending with Star Wars Rebels were proved wrong, and he returned to the big screen to nail the portrayal of his character in real life in Ahsoka.
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Lars Mikkelsen Talked Details About Playing Grand Admiral Thrawn In Ahsoka
Considering how Lars Mikkelsen has played the character for quite a while now, he now fully understands Grand Admiral Thrawn and his position and went on to share his perspective on the same with Entertainment Weekly.
“He’s brutal to a certain point, but he’s not stupid,” Mikkelsen explained. “He utilizes the creativity around him, and I like that. He doesn’t just kill people off for the fun of it. He’s sort of seven pages ahead of everybody else.”
Yet, as stunning as the character is, it is equally important to play him right and with utter perfection, and while doing that, Mikkelsen was met with quite some obstacles, including the language barrier.
“My biggest challenge is always the language,” Mikkelsen explained. “There’s a barrier because I’m not English; I’m Danish. And it’s quite elaborate English. He’s so poised, and he’s so calm in what he’s doing, this character. So, the challenge is to believe in what you’re doing. He’s not a man who goes for a cup of coffee. He’s in the room giving orders but in a very calm, rational way.”
However, that wasn’t the only problem he faced while playing the villain character either.
“I mean, you can’t go out in the rain,” Mikkelsen said. “That’d be stupid. And after 16 hours of shooting, the contacts will hurt you. But there’s people coming around all the time with [eye] drops.”
Source: Entertainment Weekly
