Exclusive Interview: 'Ahsoka' Actress Diana Lee Inosanto At Fan Expo Chicago 2024
Image Source: CultureSlate
I had the privilege of attending the Chicago Fan Expo again this year, and it’s always a fun time. With Star Wars being one of my all-time favorite franchises, it was a very Star Wars-centric weekend. I was lucky enough to interview the lovely Diana Lee Inosanto. Star Wars fans will know her for her role as Morgan Elsbeth in season 2 of The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, and most recently Tales Of The Jedi. We talked about Star Wars and her time playing Morgan Elsbeth.
CS: How did you get into acting? Into Star Wars?
DLI: There are many avenues to get into acting, but I was lucky that I already had an aunt who was an actress, so I began doing theater, and then I took acting classes for television. Theater was a huge part of my days.
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CS: How does working for Disney/Lucasfilm compare to other projects you've worked on?
DLI: They were the best. I have never had a more positive experience. I’m probably one of the most luckiest people walk here. I love everyone at Lucasfilm. Disney has been amazing. Thankful, gratitude, just pure gratitude.
CS: Morgan is such an interesting and complex character, how did you prepare for the role?
DLI: So, I studied different complicated historical figures at first, everything and everybody from Julius Ceaser, Catherine the Great, and then later on I started studying Thrawn because I knew once the line of Thrawn is in the show, I knew I gotta study Timothy Zahn. I knew the people around Thrawn’s circle would have a lot of intel about his character.
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CS: What has been your favorite part about playing Morgan Elsbeth?
DLI: Honestly, the fans. I was already a fan and now I’m in Star Wars. I love it, and I’m a mother too of a son with autism, so I get a lot of people in the special needs, or intellectually developed community, they come to me, they know they’re safe with me and that’s a real privilege I enjoy about being part of the universe.
CS: You returned to voice the role of Morgan in Tales Of The Empire, how was it going from playing the character in live-action to voicing her? Was it difficult to switch mediums?
DLI: So the approach to playing her was still the same but in this case, it was fascinating to work closely with the animation team and to be able to really enjoy the process, like creating all the fight scenes around her, which they were copying my fight scenes from YouTube, and what I did on the show. So that was pretty much the only thing that was different, but the approach as an actress was still the same.
CS: With your extensive background in martial arts, have you been able to bring any of those skills to the role of Morgan?
DLI: All the time. That’s why I was cast. Dave Filoni discovered me when Jon Favreau said we need to find an authentic martial artist that can hopefully act, or is truly an actress as well. So Dave Filoni found me, and yeah that’s kinda how it all happened because he saw that I had a martial arts background.
CS: Do you have a favorite style you like doing?
DLI: No, because I was raised, because of my godfather the late Bruce Lee, I was raised in the art and philosophy of Jeet Kun Do, which means you study whatever you can and kind of make it your own. That’s the quickest way I know how to describe his philosophy. So I studied everything from muay thai, French savate, European fencing, and boxing. So that's what my role was.
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CS: How was it working with Lars Mikkelsen? And the rest of the cast?
DLI: We bonded over hot dogs, that’s all I can say. We have a bond over hot dogs. He’s the coolest guy to work with. I love him and he’s the best, and yeah I love him.
CS: Speaking of hot dogs, do you like Chicago style?
DLI: Chicago style, man. I was telling him, Lars, you need to come to Chicago one of these days, and you have to have a Chicago-style hot dog.
CS: Have you been able to give your ideas about how Morgan should be or act?
DLI: That’s a good question. No, but whatever work I did seemed to be acceptable and whatever notes that Dave had to make her deliver something in a certain way, I would do as commanded.
CS: Even though Morgan died in Ahsoka, any idea if she'll return in future projects?
DLI: I don’t know, I really don’t know. Like the Nighsisters know how to resurrect beings, I don’t know what that means for her though. I just don’t know, and they have not said a word to me. I just know that I am so, so dead right now.
CS: If you could be any other character in the Star Wars universe, who would you want to be and why?
DLI: Ooh good question. You know, look at this, I’m wearing Princess Leia. I looooove her. I love her. And I love Jyn from Rogue One. Really cool characters, so yeah.
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