10 Ways Ahsoka’s Ezra Bridger Actor Has Already Proven He’s Perfect For His Star Wars Rebels Character

Summary

• Eman Esfandi seamlessly translated Ezra Bridger from animation to live-action, proving he is the perfect actor for the role.
• Esfandi’s performance captures an older version of Ezra while maintaining familiar traits and character growth.
• Esfandi’s appearance, including his beard and long hair, resembles Ezra’s father, showing maturity and embodying his parents’ kindhearted nature.

Bringing Star Wars Rebels‘ Ezra Bridger into live-action was no easy task, but Eman Esfandi proved he was the perfect actor to play the character in Ahsoka. Picking up where the Rebels series finale left off, Ahsoka season 1 brought many of the show’s characters into live-action with varying degrees of success. Lars Mikkelsen and Clancy Brown had the advantage of having voiced Grand Admiral Thrawn and Governor Ryder Azadi in Rebels, looking and sounding almost exactly like their respective animated counterparts. Esfandi, however, managed to faithfully adapt Ezra’s character without prior experience in the Star Wars franchise.

Esfandi deserves recognition for seamlessly translating Rebels‘ main character into live-action, avoiding what could have been a rocky transition between mediums. Fans can rest easy knowing that Ezra is in good hands for future Star Wars appearances, whether in Ahsoka season 2 or Dave Filoni’s The Mandalorian Star Wars movie. While it would be incredible if Taylor Gray returned to voice Ezra in an animated Star Wars project, Esfandi can continue playing the character in any upcoming Star Wars movies or TV shows. 10 aspects of Esfandi’s performance, personality, and preparation prove him as the perfect choice to play Ezra Bridger.

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10 Eman Esfandi Can Perfectly Emulate A Young Ezra Bridger

He recreated young Ezra for Sabine’s holo message

Esfandi played a young Ezra in one scene where Sabine Wren viewed a holo message he made for her. Perfectly emulating Ezra’s awkwardness from the holo message in the Rebels series finale, Esfandi captured small details to make himself feel like a live-action Ezra. While Esfandi is unlikely to play a young Ezra outside of recordings or brief flashbacks, it was demonstrated in the first episode that he was the right actor.

9 Eman Esfandi’s Performance Feels Like An Older Ezra Bridger

His Ezra doesn’t just feel like the teenage version played by an older actor

When Ezra made his proper live-action debut in Ahsoka season 1, episode 6 “Part Six: Far, Far Away,” Esfandi conveyed the character as an older man. It would have been easy to act like the teenage Ezra from Rebels, but Esfandi balanced familiar traits with character growth. Characters change over time, especially when entering adulthood, and Esfandi’s performance feels like a natural development for Ezra based on when the audience last saw him.

8 Eman Esfandi Looks Like Ezra Bridger’s Father

A detail that helps him look like an older Ezra

Another detail that helped Esfandi feel like an older Ezra was his appearance, with his beard and long hair making him the spitting image of Ephraim Bridger. Ezra’s parents only had minor appearances in Rebels, but they were portrayed as kind and caring people who inspired Ezra to be a better man. Having Ezra look like his father made sense visually, but it also showed how he grew to embody his parents’ kindhearted nature.

7 Eman Esfandi Knows How To Prepare For A Role

He did not watch all of Star Wars Rebels before starring in Ahsoka

In a statement that shocked Star Wars fans, it was revealed that Esfandi didn’t watch every Rebels episode before Ahsoka. Esfandi explained that he “didn’t want to get too caught up in the younger version of Ezra,” preferring to stay connected to the character’s older version while filming Ahsoka. This proves how much thought and care Esfandi put into the role, doing what he felt was best for the character, even if it meant missing out on the early seasons of Rebels. Of course, Esfandi clarified that he did go back to watch all of Rebels after completing his work on Ahsoka.

6 Eman Esfandi Is A Star Wars Fan

It’s not a requirement (but it certainly helps)

He may not have watched every Rebels episode, but Esfandi is a massive Star Wars fan. His social media accounts contain several posts showcasing his love for the franchise and the honor he felt at joining the cast of Ahsoka. While being a Star Wars fan is not a requirement for playing a role, it seemed to influence Esfandi’s passion for playing Ezra.

5 Eman Esfandi Loves Cartoons & Animation

He appreciates the medium that introduced the character

Mainstream audiences may not appreciate Star Wars animation as much as live-action, but Esfandi does. He posted a selfie of himself on Instagram wearing stormtrooper armor and shared in the description how he grew up wishing “for friends who loved what I loved (anime, cartoons, etc.) and little did I know it would be all of you.” It’s comforting to know that Esfandi respects the medium where Ezra originally debuted, which may have influenced his portrayal in Ahsoka.

4 Eman Esfandi Is Full Of Energy And Passion

Essential for someone playing Ezra Bridger

Ezra was often Rebels‘ most energetic and passionate character, and Esfandi never lacked these qualities in Ahsoka. His Ezra is always fully invested in every scene, displaying genuine happiness in some moments and focused determination in others. Ezra may be a different character in Ahsoka, but he still possesses youthful charisma because of Esfandi’s performance.

3 Eman Esfandi Puts So Much Detail Into His Performance

From facial expressions to body language

The entire cast of Ahsoka did a commendable job with their respective characters, but Esfandi went the extra mile with Ezra. From his first scene, Esfandi put so much care into Ezra’s facial expressions and body language, making the character feel dynamic and fully realized. This honors Ezra’s roots as an animated character and illustrates how dedicated Esfandi was on set.

2 Eman Esfandi Has Great Chemistry With The Ghost Crew

He knows how to act with each cast member

Esfandi’s performance honored Ezra and every Rebels character he interacted with. He had fantastic chemistry with Natasha Liu Bordizzo’s Sabine, and his reunion with Ahsoka Tano was heartwarming and resulted in one of Rosario Dawson’s best moments in the entire show. His final scene with Hera Syndulla was short, but each actor conveyed genuine happiness and shock at seeing the other. While Esfandi didn’t watch all of Rebels, he did watch key episodes to understand Ezra’s dynamic with every member of the Ghost crew, and it shows in Ahsoka.

1 Eman Esfandi Is A Natural With The Force And A Lightsaber

The Force is all he needs (but a lightsaber comes in handy)

Star Wars wouldn’t be complete without the Force and lightsabers, and Esfandi mastered both in Ahsoka. He did an excellent job making all of Ezra’s moves feel natural when he fought his enemies with only the Force, and his lightsaber swings felt precise, conveying a character who had spent years training. With Ezra primed for an action-oriented role with Hera and the New Republic, these qualities will be essential for the character. This final detail solidified Eman Esfandi as the perfect choice to play Star Wars Rebels‘ Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka and any future Star Wars project.

• Ahsoka Release Date: 2023-08-23 Cast: Array Genres: Array Seasons: 1 Season List: Array Creator(s): Array Writers: Array Streaming Service(s): Array Franchise(s): Array Directors: Array Showrunner: Array