Dave Filoni Used One Low-effort Trick To Find the Most Menacing Cast Member For ‘Ahsoka’ and It Worked Wonders For Rosario Dawson’s Show
- Dave Filoni discovered Diana Lee Inosanto by a simple Google search, where he realized about her martial arts background.
- Inosanto's expertise in martial arts brings authenticity and intensity to her character's fight scenes.
- Inosanto wanted to be in the Star Wars universe since childhood and had to go through a long journey to realize it.
The Star Wars universe has expanded far, far away, and Ahsoka has been one of the recent additions to it. The show followed the adventures of former Jedi Ahsoka Tano, played by Rosario Dawson. But as they say, a hero is as great as his villain.
Here, the CCO of Lucasfilm Dave Filoni played an important role. Filoni is someone who understands the franchise deeply and is known for his attention to detail, and he had the challenge of finding the perfect antagonist for Ahsoka.
How Dave Filoni Discovered Diana Lee Inosanto
Although it might seem like a tough task to find such a talent who can challenge Rosario Dawson‘s intensity and also bring something new to the table. However, sometimes the simplest solutions are the most effective.
Diana Lee Inosanto was introduced in the Star Wars universe as the intimidating Imperial Magistrate Morgan Elsbeth in The Mandalorian. But it seems like her path started long before that. Inosanto was born into a family of martial arts royalty. Her father, Dan Inosanto, was a friend and also a student of none other than Bruce Lee.
Her martial arts journey is reflected in her on-screen presence. Inosanto is trained in Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do, along with Filipino Kali and other forms. This background was not just for personal uses, but it became necessary in bringing Morgan Elsbeth to life.
Her character quickly won fans’ hearts. Inosanto brought physical skill to her role while wielding a beskar spear and facing off against Ahsoka Tano which was appreciated by viewers and critics.
But the interesting part is that, according to Claire Lim’s Fan Expo Chicago interview, Dave Filoni found her just by Googling “badass female martial artist.” That is just a low-effort, high-reward casting method.
However, apart from the fight sequences, what makes Inosanto shine is the way she successfully adds depth to Morgan Elsbeth. In a conversation with Starwars.com, she said,
We love seeing a strong woman and a complicated woman. You know, she’s not perfect. Yet, I’ve had [parents] come up to me and say, ‘I love what you’ve done. I love that I can show my daughter this fierce woman warrior.’
Elsbeth is still being written in the Star Wars franchise, and Inosanto will keep on building a legacy. Recently, Elsbeth’s backstory was seen in Tales of the Empire, and her journey from Nightsister to Imperial leader is in a way similar to Inosanto’s own path from martial arts prodigy to Star Wars villain.
Diana Lee Inosanto’s Childhood Star Wars Dream
Inosanto was connected to Star Wars long before she visited the set. She was initially very much fascinated by the original films, and in an interview at Fan Expo Vancouver, she revealed (via Vancouver Sun),
After my father, Dan Inosanto, took me and a bunch of his students to see the first Star Wars’ film, I was hooked and started training with those plastic light sabers that were available at the time.
However, it was not easy for her to break into the acting industry. Being an Asian-American, her roles were anyway limited, which forced her to look for odd jobs for money. In the same interview, she said that she used to see her aunt going out for auditions and failing. But Inosanto was determined.
During an audition for a role in Demolition Man, she realized that she was familiar with half its stunt team, as most of them were from her father’s academy. This gave her the idea to get into stunt work and use her martial arts background there.
Inosanto created the Mars Action group along with her husband, where they trained and coordinated stunts in films and TV shows. But her dream of becoming an actor pushed her to write, direct, and act in The Sensei, which earned some critical acclaim.
Following that, she suddenly got a call for The Mandalorian, for which she is thankful to John Favreau, Dave Filoni, Kathleen Kennedy, and others for giving her a “big break” in her 50s. After that, she starred in Ahsoka, then in Tales of the Empire, and she started living her childhood dream of being a part of the Star Wars universe finally.
Ahsoka is streaming on Disney+.
