After more than three decades,Star Warsis finally bringing one of its most iconic villains into live action.
“He’s brutal to a certain point, but he’s not stupid,” Mikkelsen explains.
“He utilizes the creativity around him, and I like that.
Lars Mikkelsen as Grand Admiral Thrawn on ‘Ahsoka’.Disney+
He doesn’t just kill people off for the fun of it.
He’s sort of seven pages ahead of everybody else.”
But while recording the finalRebelsepisode, he remembers futureAhsokacreatorDave Filonimaking a sly comment, hinting at a possible return.
Larks Mikkelsen; Thrawn in ‘Star Wars Rebels’.Lucasfilm via Getty Images
“I didn’t really understand what he meant by that,” Mikkelsen says now with a laugh.
“He sort of thrives on the creativity of the people he hires,” Mikkelsen says of theAhsokashowrunner.
“It’s a very good quality to be a boss like that.
He gets so much more from people.”
“My biggest challenge is always the language,” Mikkelsen explains.
“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.”
For the most part, he says, he didn’t mind the laborious transformation process.
“I mean, it’s possible for you to’t go out in the rain,” Mikkelsen says.
“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.”
“I really wanted to see it in the camera,” he explains.
“But it worked.
And I was quite amazed.”
Ahsokaairs Tuesdays on Disney+ at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
To hear exclusive interviews with theAhsokacast, as well as full episode recaps, listen to EW’sDagobah Dispatchpodcast.
