Ahsoka Tano first appeared in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and since then, she has appeared in Star Wars Rebels and her very own live-action series, Ahsoka. The voice actor who brought the character to life was Ashley Eckstein, and she’ll be reprising her role in LEGO Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past.
“Yes, it is a massive honor,” Eckstein tells Nerd Reactor. “You know, Dave Filoni promised to me I’d always be the voice of Ahsoka in animation. But you know, I didn’t know if we’d get to see Ahsoka in animation again. And when I got the call to return as Ahsoka, this time as Brickhead Ahsoka, it was so exciting. I think I cried for sure. It was Ahsoka talking about pieces of the past.”
Ahsoka is a character who has changed Eckstein’s life.
“Ahsoka is a piece of my heart,” she said. “Like if my heart were made out of Lego bricks, my heart would not be complete without the piece of Ahsoka. She is a piece of me. And you know, it feels so right to be voicing Ahsoka. And I don’t take for granted every moment that I get to step into the studio and voice this character. And I’m just so honored to step back into her boots again and breathe life into Ahsoka.”
The Star Wars voice actor was able to tease what fans can expect from the upcoming animated series.
“Lego Rebuild the Galaxy is its own galaxy,” Eckstein explained. “It’s its own story. But what I love about Brickhead Ahsoka in this series is that she’s still Ahsoka. Like the heart is the same. Whether she looks like she does in Clone Wars or Rebels or Lego Rebuild the Galaxy, it’s still Ahsoka’s heart. Dan and Benji and the whole team that created Lego Star Wars: Rebuild the Galaxy – Pieces of the Past, they really stayed true to her character. And I read it because I’m very protective.
“And normally in the past, I very rarely would work on projects that Dave Filoni was not involved in. So we’re both very protective. And so the few times that I worked without Dave, I had to be the keeper of this character. I had to make sure that I was protecting her. Like, is this who Ahsoka is? Is this what she sounds like? Would she say this? And I read the script. And I was like, there she is. Oh my gosh, it’s perfect. And, you know, obviously, this is done with Lucasfilm Animation and Josh Rimes and that whole team. And so they know Ahsoka so well. So it was, it was a great team. But they just knocked it out of the park. And so I can’t give it away. But it is the Ahsoka that we know and love.”
Her Universe and HypeFriend! Podcast
Eckstein’s love of Star Wars and fandom has led her to create Her Universe, a sci-fi and fantasy clothing brand aimed at girls and women. The 11th annual Her Universe Fashion Show will be back at San Diego Comic-Con, and she and Michael James Scott (The Genie in Disney’s Aladdin on Broadway) will be co-hosting the opening night event. The Her Universe Fashion Show, presented by Universal, will be held on Thursday, July 24 at 6 p.m. PT in the Seaport Ballroom of the Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel.
In addition, Eckstein and Scott announced their new weekly podcast, HypeFriend!, which will have a three-episode premiere today. They will have their first-ever live after-show taping on July 25 (10-11 am) at the Neil Morgan Auditorium of the San Diego Central Library.
The duo have been friends since high school, and the podcast’s mission is simple: starting a friendship revolution, one “HypeFriend” at a time.
Synopsis: Filled with Hypes & Gripes, Good Gossip, and Neighbor Drop-Ins, the comedy podcast centers around authentic conversation meant to inspire the next generation of friendships. Guests featured in the premiere episodes include voice actor Bret Iwan (official voice of “Mickey Mouse”) and Andrew Levitt, also known as Nina West from RuPaul’s Drag Race. All three are available now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.
HypeFriend is produced by Dream Three, a multi-platform entertainment studio headquartered in New York and founded by award-winning writer-director Jeremy Merrifield and Broadway star Michael James Scott.
