Star Wars fans know Star Wars Celebration as the convention for all things Star Wars. However, this weekend at Fan Expo Anaheim, Star Wars actors will be out in full force including Mark Hamill and Giancarlo Esposito. Other Star Wars actors include Brendan Wayne, known as The Mandalorian’s body actor, and James Arnold Taylor and Catherine Taber, known for voicing Obi-Wan Kenobi and Padme in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, respectively. Taylor and Taber’s credits include other popular titles including Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Final Fantasy X, Marvel Rivals, Ratchet and Clank, My Adventures with Superman and many more.
Fans in Southern California who want to meet them will get a chance at this week’s Fan Expo Anaheim at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars is an animated series that was the template for the popular characters fans see today including Ahsoka Tano.
“When we first were announced and people found out about our project, they were not excited,” Taber tells Nerd Reactor. “Star Wars animation was not something that had been around. So there was a lot of skepticism, especially with the character of Ahsoka. We talk about this all the time. So, in general, people were like, ‘I don’t know about this.’ I always tell this joke that some of my friends, they didn’t even watch the show. They were like, ‘Oh, a cartoon,’ and then a couple of years later they watched Clone Wars, and they were like, ‘Dude, your show’s so good!'”
Fans will get to meet Catherine Taber this weekend at Fan Expo Anaheim, and she talks about her appreciation for them.
“I am meeting people who love what we do and are so grateful, and how can I not feel grateful for that?” she said. “So it’s like a mutual love fest, and then I meet the coolest young people. And sometimes they’re going through things in their life that are difficult. And I feel like I get to have a moment with them where I could be encouraging, and that’s been the greatest gift.”
James Arnold Taylor on Obi-Wan Kenobi
James Arnold Taylor’s credits include Magneto in Marvel Rivals and Tidus in Final Fantasy X, just to name a few. His most well-known role is Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars universe.
“I’ve actually, and I never say this with a bloated ego, but I’ve played more Obi-Wan than even Ewan McGregor and Sir Alec Guinness combined,” the actor said.
Taylor loves meeting people who love the world the actors were a part of.
“I have just felt like at every convention, I am meeting people that love what we do and are so grateful.”
Brendan Wayne, the Mandalorian
The Mandalorian series is a huge hit on Disney+ that spawned a live-action feature film, The Mandalorian and Grogu. Pedro Pascal is known as the voice of the titular character, but the actor underneath inside the suit is mainly portrayed by Brendan Wayne. Star Wars fans will instantly recognize that walk.
“I mean, honestly, it’s incredible,” Wayne said. “Like I could sit, come over and grab some tissue, I guess, and whine about something, but at the end of the day, dude, I really do have the best of both worlds.
There are positives to being an actor in a Star Wars project in a helmet.
“I get to be a part of my kids’ lives without interruption at dinners and things like that,” he explained. “I mean, I watch Pedro; I’ve been out with him. It’s rough, dude.”
Fans will also get to meet Wayne at Fan Expo Anaheim, and like everyone else, he’ll be excited to see Mark Hamill.
“But as far as going to cons, I’m gonna do Fan Expo Anaheim, and I’m doing it because Mark Hamill’s gonna be there.”
Fan Expo Anaheim is running from June 26 to 28, 2026, at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Celebrity guests include Mark Hamill (Star Wars), Giancarlo Esposito (The Mandalorian), The Lord of the Rings‘ Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Dominic Monaghan, Billy Boyd, John Rhys-Davies, and many more.
