AHSOKA's Lars Mikkelsen on What Makes Grand Admiral Thrawn a Great Villain and How He's Different From Darth Vader

During Star Wars Celebration over the weekend, it was confirmed that Lars Mikkelsen would be reprising his role as Grand Admiral Thrawn in Star Wars: Ahsoka. Mikkelsen previously voiced the character in Star Wars: Rebels, and when talking about playing the live-action version of the character, he assured fans that they will be getting the same villainous character that they’ve come to love over the years. He told CB:

"It's hard to get into that without getting into the storytelling, you know, because of course some time has expired between rebels and where we get into the story here. So, and that time what happened in that time has put his mark on him, but in general, he's still the same bloke, mate. You see, you see he's so you're in for, you know, what you hope for?”

The actor went on to talk about what makes Thrawn such an interesting villain and that his mind is what makes him a formidable foe for Ahsoka and the other characters. He explained:

"That bloke, he doesn't have the force. He's not a Jedi, he's not a superhero of any kind, but he has the brain. He has all of that in that regard. How does he stack up against characters like Ahsoka, Sabine, and all these other people we're going to see and possibly antagonize in the live-action series? I think, I mean, what I mean, his superpower is his mind, which is really and always like seven paces ahead of everybody. And I'm in that sense also ahead of you as an audience, I think. So that's what you expect."

Ahsoka writer, director, and producer Dave Filoni also talked about Thrawn and explains what sets him apart from the iconic Star Wars villain Darth Vader, comparing him to the Sherlock Holmes character, Moriarty:

"The genius of Thrawn is that he's not Darth Vader. He doesn't even try to be. He doesn't have the Force. But he's smart and he's calculating. He's like a Moriarty, he's going to outthink you and out chess move you, so those are the things that I really liked."

These are all the reasons why fans like this villain so much. He’s so different and unique than any of the other Star Wars villains. Mikkelsen went on to talk about landing the role of Thrawn and trying to keep it a secret:

"It was one and a half years ago. I've known for quite a while now and it's such a relief that I can actually tell people now because everybody's been asking me. I've just been lying and lying. I don't like lying."

"We met through Skype. At some point, finishing up that series, David asked me, 'Have you ever been to LA?' I went, 'No, no.' 'We're gonna make that happen,' he said...I've never been on a set with so much passion, I must say. People are so passionate about bringing this to life for you guys."

While they hoped to keep this news a secret, it did end up leaking anyway a couple of years ago. Regardless, I’m excited about the return of this character and I can’t wait to see how the rest of his story arc is going to play out! I have a feeling he’s going to be a big addition to the franchise moving forward.