Eman Esfandi Reveals The Incredible Story Of How He Became Star Wars’ Ezra Bridger

Star Wars star Eman Esfandi reveals the extraordinary tale of how he learned of and ultimately secured the role of an older Ezra Bridger for the Ahsoka Disney+ series. Making his debut in 2014’s Star Wars Rebels animated series, Ezra was an orphan on Lothal, who finds himself entangled in a Rebel cell’s fight against the Empire, adopts a new family, and responds to a calling to the path of the Jedi. In Ahsoka, Ezra is finally found once more in the distant world of Peridea after being presumed lost following his sacrifice in the liberation of his home world.

In an interview with another Star Wars star Katee Sackoff on The Sackoff Show podcast, Esfandi recently opened up about his casting. While he was initially only familiar with the franchise through the Skywalker Saga movies, he was first drawn to Ezra after seeing discussions about who should play the character in live-action, highlighting a piece of artwork by artist Pandora Young that drew him to take on the role.

I didn’t know Clone Wars or Rebels and I had only ever really seen Revenge of the Sith, the Star Wars film, and I was online and something came up about someone playing Space Aladdin and I saw that, and I was like, “What? I should play Space Aladdin… Didn’t know what that meant or anything, but just off of that, and I look it up and it’s Ezra, so they’re talking about who should play Ezra. I’m like, ‘What is this? Ezra?’ And then there’s a picture of him by Pandora Young art, and it’s this older version she made of what Ezra would look like when he came back from being cast away in Peridea. And it looked like me, kind of…

After diving into Rebels and feeling a stronger connection to the character, Esfandi sent comparison images of himself and Ezra to his managers and agents, asking them to keep an eye out for any future casting calls involving the character and emphasizing how important it would mean to him. Following six months of waiting, the actor was called in to audition for the character, earning the role after a single self-tape audition finally fulfilled his goal.

So I go look it up, I watch a little bit of Rebels, and then I get this interesting, intuitive feeling, kind of have this dialogue it feels like, with a Force Ghost version of Ezra in my living room… So I say yes to Ezra, and the intuition tells me to send these photos of me and Ezra side-by-side, and send it to my agents and managers. I told them, like, ‘Hey, when this is casting I’m gonna play this character, so use these photos.’ And they’re all kinda like, ‘What are you talking about? Are you talking about Star Wars? Is this an animation, are you gonna be on live-action, what is this?’ I don’t really explain anything, except my manager calls me up, and I go, ‘This is one of my spiritual things and we’ll just have to see how it plays out.’ And he’s like, ‘Alright, man, I trust you, and also I hope it happens’ because he grew up on Star Wars.

Six months later, I get the anonymous audition while I’m doing a different film. Within a couple of days I was offered the role. I definitely felt connected to Ezra again while I was in that audition, I was like, ‘Oh, Ezra, you’re back.’

I did a self-tape, anonymously. Just one tape… I feel like it’s every actor’s dream way to get a role, like as soon as they see you they know and they trust that you can do it. There’s no hoops to jump through.

What Eman Esfandi’s Casting Meant For Star Wars

The Actor Is One Of Ahsoka‘s Finest Elements

Esfandi’s debut as Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Disney+ series. Not only did it bring the long-awaited closure to many Star Wars Rebel fans who had been desperate for answers since 2018, but the actor quickly proved himself perfect for the role. Esfandi perfectly captured Ezra’s late-season maturity and growth into a fully-fledged Jedi Knight while also retaining his humor and love for his family, showing the isolation had not changed him for the worse.

Away from set, Esfandi has also been a positive force within the Star Wars community both online and at conventions, even before he was confirmed to take on the role. Alongside regular interactions on social media, the actor is also well aware of many of the character’s most beloved moments, from celebrating milestones for the original series to playing into fandom in-jokes such as the many false identities Ezra has taken on throughout the series. As such, the community has embraced him, and the live-action Ezra actor has embraced his place, living up to the character’s status.

Our Take On Eman Esfandi’s Role As Ezra Bridger

Playing Ezra Is A Clear Passion Project For Esfandi

As seen by the incredible effort, Esfandi was the perfect choice to take on the role of the hero of Lothal. Playing Ezra is a labor of love for the actor, having taken incredible care to learn about him and give his all to capture the character on-screen. Esfandi’s Ezra conveys the character’s history, leading to Peridea, effortlessly bringing him from animation into live-action.

As such, Esfandi’s Ahsoka casting stands out as one of Disney+’s best Star Wars success stories, feeling like a genuine, careful decision to continue the character’s legacy rather than relying on fan service. With Ezra having come home in a dangerous time for the New Republic he fought for, this only adds to the eagerness to see how Esfandi will take Ezra into his future.

Source: Katee Sackoff

Star Wars

Star Wars is a multimedia franchise that started in 1977 by creator George Lucas. After the release of Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (originally just titled Star Wars), the franchise quickly exploded, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, TV shows, video games, comics, and much more. After Disney acquired the rights to the franchise, they quickly expanded the universe on Disney+, starting with The Mandalorian.

Cast

Mark Hamill , James Earl Jones , David Prowse , Carrie Fisher , Harrison Ford , Daisy Ridley , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Ewan McGregor , Rosario Dawson , Lars Mikkelsen , Rupert Friend , Moses Ingram , Frank Oz , Pedro Pascal

TV Show(s)

The Mandalorian , Andor , Obi-Wan Kenobi , The Book of Boba Fett , Ahsoka , The Acolyte , Star Wars: Skeleton Crew , Lando , Star Wars: The Clone Wars , Star Wars Rebels , Star Wars: The Bad Batch , Star Wars: Resistance , Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures , Star Wars: Visions

Character(s)

Luke Skywalker , Han Solo , Rey Skywalker , Emperor Palpatine / Darth Sidious , Obi-Wan Kenobi , Ahsoka Tano , Grand Admiral Thrawn , Grand Inquisitor , Reva (The Third Sister) , The Fifth Brother , The Seventh Sister , The Eighth Brother , Yoda , Din Djarin , Grogu , Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader , Leia Organa , Ben Solo/Kylo Ren

See also  Gypsy Rose Coming to L.A., Hopes to Meet 'The Act' Star Joey King

Expand