In preparation for his live-action debut as Grand Admiral Thrawn in the upcoming Ahsoka series, Lars Mikkelsen made a deliberate choice to avoid rewatching Star Wars Rebels, where he originally voiced the character. Despite playing the Chiss military mastermind in animation for years, Mikkelsen opted for a fresh perspective in portraying Thrawn once again in the highly anticipated Disney+ show.

While speculation surrounded Mikkelsen’s role before the official announcement, Lucasfilm sought him out to reprise his iconic Rebels villain as the Ghost Crew prepares to reunite.

Although it has been more than six years since Mikkelsen last portrayed Thrawn in Rebels, he intentionally did not revisit the series, which might seem surprising to some given the anticipation surrounding his live-action debut.

Why No Star Wars Rebels Research Is Good For Mikkelsen

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly’s Degobah Dispatch, Lars Mikkelsen explained why he chose not to familiarize himself with his previous portrayal of Thrawn in Star Wars Rebels. When asked if he went back to watch old Rebels episodes to reconnect with his voice work and performance, Mikkelsen responded negatively, stating that he wanted to detach himself from the past and create something new:

“No, I didn’t really. We needed to do something else, so I wanted to detach myself from that to create something new.”

Mikkelsen acknowledged the need for adaptation when transitioning from animation to live-action, recognizing that certain aspects of the character would differ due to the medium. He expressed confidence in his embodiment of Thrawn, having had years of practice even in the limited environment of a recording booth:

“Well, you need to adapt to, I mean, it being live-action. So there’s certain things that you can do with the cartoon that you can’t do in live-action. […] But in terms of the embodiment of the character itself, I felt like I had practice, you know, for five or six years.”

The Danish actor also shared his initial surprise upon seeing himself transformed into the live-action version of the character, emphasizing the skill and time it took to achieve the remarkable makeup and appearance:

“It was [a shock]. Oh yeah. I mean, they’re so phenomenally good, the people that are working at that… And it takes the better part of three hours to do that transition. But yeah, that was weird, man.”

Embracing a Detached Approach: Bringing Thrawn To Life In Live-Action

Lars Mikkelsen’s decision not to revisit Star Wars Rebels for research purposes can be viewed as a positive approach to reprising the role of Thrawn. As the Ahsoka series takes place after the events of Rebels, a significant amount of time has passed since the animated show’s conclusion. This temporal gap offers an opportunity to present Thrawn as an evolved character in the live-action medium.

While Mikkelsen emphasized that they wouldn’t completely change the essence of his Star Wars villain, it remains crucial to “adapt” the character to avoid repeating what has already been done. This detached approach is becoming more common as Star Wars animation actors transition to live-action roles.

Rupert Friend, who portrayed the Grand Inquisitor in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series, also refrained from watching Rebels to maintain a fresh perspective on the character. Friend explained that he deliberately avoided the animated interpretation, enabling him