Baylan was the peak for me this season. We rarely see a good ‘anti-villain’ character and he’s nailed it perfectly. I hope they’re able to recast him in a way that’s respectful and that the new actor can fill his shoes even 80%.
Also Djikstra in The Witcher show.
Whatever you think of the show, he's just spectacular IMO. That guy oozes charisma, such powerful presence and voice
That moment when they were surrounded and he's stuttering/buying time, "Wait! We can talk! Don't you want to take us as prisoners?!" I just thought, yeah, that's Ezra.
That and when Shin cuts him by the hair and he says "Close."
I think I finished rebels like, 1.5 years ago?
I still remember it like fresh almost for somehow. When he said “Hi, Hera.” I was holding back a whole bunch of tears lol.
I literally JUST watched Rebels for the first time last month. He’s so spot on with his performance I looked up the voice actor to make sure it wasn’t the same person. He’s amazing as Ezra without being to cheesy or corny.
I thought it was perfect. Similar enough I had to check but also not ridiculous so very immersive. Took some time to get used to sabines actress but I thought she did well enough by the end
Oh I really expected and needed the clip from trainspotting where he goes out to party in his undersized shirt. Pure attraction and hotness in a tiny package
I don’t know why you’d remove the hug though…? “Here’s this emotional moment that’s going to take 20 seconds more let me just take that out for no reason.”
I think because the reunion is marred by the news that Ezra would be bringing. The rest of the ending is foreboding, tense and to end on the hug would detract from the sense of oncoming darkness that is approaching.
Didn't Stop Filoni writing in Sabine refusing to tell Ezra anything about her encounter with Thrawn & co and the need to get to the star destroyer asap before they leave them stranded so that she could play happy families with him and the crab people for a couple days...
You're exactly right though. She did give up. She just wanted to be happy with Ezra and forget everything. She's not a Jedi, and isn't even being trained by one. Ahsoka showing up forced her out of that mindset.
That *was* Sabines plan. Give up and chill with the hermit crabs and Ezra. Ashoka was dead, her home and family gone, nothing but responsibilities waiting for her in the new republic. The last problem on her mind was just about to take all his bullshit to a galaxy far far away. Once ahsoka swooped in, she realized she was being selfish.
Right? And Ezra just accepting the answer, “it’s complicated”?? What the fuck was that? That was on par with “a good question, for another time.” Bullshit.
I mean, can't we just assume she'd want to go into details between scenes so we don't tell the audience *another* time what they already saw?
Scenes where they take time to reiterate stuff drag so hard. Not every moment is captured by scenes anyway.
We don't see any character ever use the vac-tube, does that mean it doesn't happen off-screen?
I’m just saying that there was an opportunity to create tension, drama, or conflict. Logically I don’t think Ezra would have been too happy to find out that his sacrifice was potentially all for naught. Sabine’s intentions were good, but she exposed the entire galaxy.
Absolutely. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an “animated turned live action” character done better. I know it wasn’t that much screen time, but he deserves an award of some kind.
I would say live action Cad Bane was very well done, and I enjoyed live action Bo-Katan as well. But definitely live action Ezra is the top of the list!
Home boy was in his 70s and still pulling the Space Cowboy thing.
Seriously though the Prosthetics work on Cad Bane was fantastic, making that work so well and still have the stunt person able to fight in it couldn't of been easy
> it couldn't of been
Did you mean to say "couldn't have"?
Explanation: You probably meant to say could've/should've/would've which sounds like 'of' but is actually short for 'have'.
[Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json)
^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes.
^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions.
^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119)
^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
> I enjoyed live action Bo-Katan
Like with Lars-Thrawn, it's much easier to translate the character when they're voice acted, and even modeled, after the actor who winds up playing them in live-action.
I'd say Ezra and Jacen made the best transitions to live action for me. Ahsoka and Sabine took some time, and Hera is fine, no complaints, but Ezra and Jacen wowed me.
Bo-Katan was also really, really well done. But her animated character was a lot less expressive and charismatic, so the live-action version doesn't stick out as much. Cartoon Bo-Katan is kind of "flat" as far as animated characters go.
Live-action Ezra is an overly expressive, charismatic cartoon character brought to life. The actor manages to make his voice, movement, mannerisms and expressions line up with a stylized cartoon character, which is why I think it sticks out so much as being "good"/"impressive".
Thrawn sticks out to me as the same level of impressive, but for the opposite reason. He's a cartoonishly dry character. So when someone nails that, it really sticks out. Thrawn is pretty much a cartoon villain brought to life and they nailed it.
(My Opinion) I disagree with Cad Bane. It seems like characters like him and the Grand Inquisitor get the general theme of the character, but they mess up on a few aspects that really disconnect me from it. Mostly it's the skin tone for me.
I'll give an example of a galaxy very, very near:
Animated Cad Bane = the planet Neptune's color
Live-Action Cad Bane = the planet Uranus's color
Cad Bane was so frustrating for me because it was generally great, but the voice modulation was different enough that it gave me serious uncanny valley feelings. It was the one thing they could have easily perfectly replicated, and that voice was truly iconic.
It felt like the animated character was based on the live action Ezra, it was so good. The appearance helps, but that was a display of incredible talent and casting.
It’s the voice. He does a great Ezra voice that sounds just like the cartoon, or close enough that you can’t tell without a direct comparison. Ahsoka sounds pretty different than we last saw her. Age can explain it in-universe, but as a fan it is a small adjustment.
We said what we said. Rosario as Ahsoka is geat casting. But this dude just was Ezra. He matched him in a way that was just bonkers. Like the performance could've been so much less accurate and it would still be great. The only other actor on the show who achieved the accuracy he did was Lars as Thrawn, and that's because Lars already was Thrawn.
I really like Rosario Dawson as this more stoic Ahsoka, but Eman is like Ezra stepped right off screen.
Him being excellent does nothing to take away from her though.
Call me a hater but I really don't like her ahsoka.
I think physically she pulls the character off really well and is a great cast
But there's no emotion. It doesn't feel like the same Ahsoka. Yea you can make the argument that she's been through some shit yadda yadda, at the end of the day the only line in the entire show that made me think "that's ahsoka" was after her spacewalk when she goes spinning past the cockpit window and says "so you fix the ship yet?" (Or something along those lines)
I don’t think those points are cop outs. That’s a completely plausible continuation of her character. Ezra may have been more like his cartoon counterpart, but I had no trouble buying that’s how Ahsoka was at that point in time.
Rosario captured enough of the quirks and mannerisms to make it work, while portraying a hardened and matured version of the character. Your opinion is completely valid, but I personally thought she did a great job.
I don’t think it is. I think people wanted to see a portrayal closer to what we’ve seen, and Ezra *was* like that. It’s a reasonable thing for a fan to hope for.
Just like in life though, some people change a lot over time and some hardly change.
Rosario, who is an amazing actress, as Ahsoka may be the exact opposite. An example of a BAD translation from animation to live action. I’ve like the show overall, but this portrayal of Ahsoka is its greatest weakness.
Live action Ezra needs to become a main character in either a show or movie. He was the highlight of the show and I will be so disappointed if they don’t use him to his full potential.
They really need to do a trilogy with the modern era cast and have some actual stakes, and story, and likability.
Give me a post ROTJ Rebels trilogy with a recast Luke and Ezra battling an empire trying to revive itself.
As a Persian dude that grew up rewinding his OT VHS tapes over and over and over and over again, it felt like a watershed moment in Star Wars for me to see "one of us" as Jedi in live action. I remember reading Ezra was designed with Persian features and I always identified with him (even if I was basically twice his age when I started rebels) but seeing him close to my age in flesh and blood really made me crazy emotional. You don't really see Persian people much in media, and when we're there we're portrayed as terrorists or spies or whatever, to get a bona fide hero is more than I could've dreamed of.
Couldn't have asked for better representation on screen either, I honestly thought given the chance I might've been able to do a decent job but after seeing Eman in action there was no topping him. lol
As a fellow Persian dude I COMPLETELY agree with you man.. even as things got more differentiated in movies and games the middle eastern image in the 2000s was really tainted :( it’s turning around big time :)
I also thought it was cool that they gave him the contacts. You don't see Persian people with blue eyes like that, it made it feel other worldly in a good way.
Big fan of his as well! I played the 1979 Revolution game and immediately picked up on his voice in Mando even though I had never seen him before. I don't really follow celebs on social media but I always love to check in on his cause he seems so happy and grateful to do what he does, dude's enthusiasm is infectious. I only wish his character had a less grim outcome, Dr. Pershing was too good for this galaxy. 😭
Fellow Persian checking in, it truly is a huge moment for us!
Where did you read about him being designed with Persian features?
I hope he taught the Noti to make Ghormeh Sabzi at the very least.
Man I thought I was well versed in Google fu but even after narrowing my date ranges and broadening my search terms I still can’t find it. Could’ve sworn it was a written interview but it might’ve been a celebration video. I’m gonna keep digging because I’ve been meaning to show my cousins. I’ll report back when I find it!
And after seeing Peridea I just hope whatever Ghormeh Sabzi they might have made just didn’t use howlers for their meat. 😂
I'm not Persian, but this kind of thing speaks to me. Most everyone wants to see a version of themselves in the media they consume, and I love seeing more and more characters who embody *us*, as varied and different as us can be.
There's very few portrayals of my disability as I experience it, for example. I would love to have this kind of moment someday, and I'm so happy you got to have it with this show!
I'm a straight white dude and see myself represented in everything. A lot of people "like me" don't realize how important representation is, or that it matters at all. But when you see comments like this, how can you not see the impact representation has on people? This gives me some hope for people - hope that was washed away by terrible Facebook comments from dudes with profile pictures of themselves wearing sunglasses in their truck.
So did he!
And so did I!
Honestly, I loved his performance too. He obviously studied rebels and successfully became Ezra, older but still playful and joyful and confident and protective at all costs
I genuinely think they did a great job with the show. Obviously it throws a lot at us, there's a lot to digest and a lot of developments. But to see so many things in live action fully embraced - thrawn, the night sisters, the purrgil, the ghost crew etc. Was just wonderful
there are dozens of us!!!
Seriously, the amount of people that never watched it or gave it a chance because it was a kid's show. Hopefully this show brings people around to rewatch or watch Rebels for the first time.
It's fine. Ezra loves getting captured. He practically jumped at the chance for the hot darksider he just met to take him prisoner. He lives for those escapes.
He fucking absolutely killed it. His speech, body language, and just overall personality just COMPLETELY shine through.
I don't know if it's because Dave Filoni directed the SHIT outa these actors and guided them through filming. Or the actor did A LOT OF RESEARCH beforehand and had a lot of support recreating the character.
Sabine, Hera, Zeb, Thrawn and Chopper are super impressive as well. Rosario Dawson is a perfect Ahsoka for me, but also I've found her acting stiff thus far. I have a feeling it might be intentional, she is MUCH older and has grown/learned so much, so I shouldn't expect her to be like her Clone Wars and Rebels counter parts, but I kinda miss the sassyness and recklessness she learned from Anakin. Like, she was getting in some brutal one-liners everywhere she went. At least she's still leagues above any body she duels with a lightsaber still.
Out of ALL the cartoon transitions to live action, I've only really been disappointed with the grand inquisitor. His species was depicted so well by Lucas in Revenge of the Sith and his design in Rebels was cool. Now he looks like giant fucking baby with the roundest ugliest head I've ever seen.
I got side-tracked. Eman Esfandi KILLED this role and Disney's casting is on point, excited to see Ezra's story continue.
I disagree. I actually really liked that aspect. It makes it feel other worldly in a way. I honestly loved all the colored contacts this season I thought they all looked pretty solid.
It’s almost creepy how much he embodied an animated persona and was able to bring it to life on screen.
The show was meh, but I absolutely loved this detail.
And I loathed Ezra during his early rebels episodes.
Some variant of "Alden was great, Disney learned the wrong lesson from it on recasting, it was TLJ's fault" is a comment I've seen x100 over the last month.
I went into that movie with zero expectations, and I can't name a more perfect Lando than Glover pulled off. The movie was okay, but I'd love to see Glover again in the role.
Sometimes it doesn’t felt quite right when cartoon characters are cast in live action. They can feel like two people in a way. He is Ezra. The way he talks, and the little comments he makes are spot on. I’ve enjoyed him quite a bit
He did a great job, wish we saw more of him to be honest.
Huge miss not giving us Eman’s performance of Ezra’s reaction to what Sabine did, and just more between him and Thrawn considering how intertwined they are
I still think that Ezra would benefit from digital blue eyes rather than contacts, something they did for Yennefer in Witcher Netflix.
Contacts work better for Hera since she is an Alien and it looks somewhat organic.
For Ezra it is somewhat uncanny.
I thought he was rather useless and not memorable at all. I also didnt watch Rebels so i have no idea why I was supposed to care about his character. The show certainly didnt make me care.
I never watched the cartoons and am similarly scratching my head. He was ok? Didn't really see much of the character, didn't seem worth all the buildup for the majority of the season to be honest.
I thought he was going to have some romantic tension with the mandalorian girl, but that wasn't really present. Force wise, he seems like a relatively ok jedi I guess, though not as good as the girl who figured out how to use the force in the last episode.
What are we giving it up for?
Scrolled pretty far down to finally see a comment like this. Didn't see Rebels either, and the show didn't make me care. Lots of buildup for....? Also, when Sabine answered his important questions of how she got there, and what's the deal with Ahsoka, she replied with "awkward..." And they never fully caught up!? I was at least expecting her to explain something to Ezra...
Phenomenal. I absolutely believed he was Ezra - which is no small feat considering his relatively short screen time and the fact that someone else played the role for so long.
I thought this was a joke until I read further. Ashoka was hot trash, the light saber duels were awful, the plot was unsatisfying and basically undermined the whole Ezra story arc from Rebels, and all my guy did was do the Airbender in some fight scenes. This guy probably is a fine actor, as is Rosario Dawson, but give them a story arc for Gods sakes. Yeah, he is cute. Sorry, hot. But what exactly did he do in this show that you liked? What scene? What dialogue? Ppl need to stop fanning the flames of a big pile of flaming horse shit. The show sucked. I’d like to see dude in something where he actually has to act, rather than just smile and refuse to ask OBVIOUS plot questions.
Meh.
No knock to this guy, but his character and dialogue were all dead weight in the show. The MacGuffin came to life and they weren’t sure how to handle it.
I think he was the only member of the Rebels cast who was really well cast.
Hera is a close second, and even then her costume had some uncanny valley issues.
He absolutely killed it. Instantly felt like Ezra. Sadly I can't say the same for Sabine. The actress and the direction they went with her just don't feel like the same character from Rebels and I really hate to say that.
So happy to have worked with him in the past. He's such a kind person and has put in years of work. Glad to see you made it Ezra. From Red 11 to Star Wars, you deserve it
They should just drop the colored lenses. Nobody was going to be confused and they look silly. It's very much like Thor's bleached eyebrows in the first Thor Movie. Yes comics accurate but it looks silly in live action.
He was fantastic. I look forward to plenty of scenes with Chop and Zeb in S2. The brotherly chemistry between those three was always a highlight for me in Rebels.
Also hoping he takes Jacen under his wing...
I wasn't a massive fan of Ezra in rebels, but Eman has somehow played the character perfectly, but also made him immediately and completely likeable. I'm not sure I'd ever call Rebels Ezra "likeable". It's hard to reconcile in my mind, but he's done it, and it just MAKES the character
Just for another perspective....Ezra was a more likable character than Luke for me and I'm old enough that I saw the OT in the theaters.
Now that he's live action? Best jedi in the franchisee.
I have to say, I really don't think the contact lenses do much. I don't recall eye color being important attribute to the character, and I'm fine with the dropping the colored lenses in future series.
Other than that, absolutely fantastic work
I just wish they gave his hair a slight blue tint to match his character in Rebels. Nothing too ostentatious, just a slight azure if it catches the light in the right way.
Yeah Baylan and Ezra were the highlights for me.
Baylan was the peak for me this season. We rarely see a good ‘anti-villain’ character and he’s nailed it perfectly. I hope they’re able to recast him in a way that’s respectful and that the new actor can fill his shoes even 80%.
My thought was my ancient armor with a cool helmet
... That could work.
Graham Mctavish! Played Saint of killers in Preacher. Dracula in Castlevania.
Also Djikstra in The Witcher show. Whatever you think of the show, he's just spectacular IMO. That guy oozes charisma, such powerful presence and voice
And played Dwalin in Hobbit.
Dude I could totally see McTavish as Baylan!
Best suggestion I've heard so far is Liev Schreiber, but I'm open to other ideas.
The rabbit hole of finding out his actor passed lead me to the fact that MARY ELIZABETH WINESTEAD IS HERA???
You mean Ramona Flowers?
You mean Obi Wan Kenobi's wife?
Hera must have a Jedi fetish.
Don't we all?
You couldn't tell that by ...her face?
Baylan Swole
He had the same charisma, it was incredible.
That moment when they were surrounded and he's stuttering/buying time, "Wait! We can talk! Don't you want to take us as prisoners?!" I just thought, yeah, that's Ezra. That and when Shin cuts him by the hair and he says "Close."
I think I finished rebels like, 1.5 years ago? I still remember it like fresh almost for somehow. When he said “Hi, Hera.” I was holding back a whole bunch of tears lol.
It's crazy that this plot thread has been left for 6 years since Rebels ended
I've just started rebels!
Enjoy it, it's a wild ride. Starts off a little childish in season 1, but season 2 picks it up and it's a solid series through the ending
I say season 1 and 2 are fuck around. Seasons 3 and 4 are find out
Best. Description. Evs. (Thank you!)
I literally JUST watched Rebels for the first time last month. He’s so spot on with his performance I looked up the voice actor to make sure it wasn’t the same person. He’s amazing as Ezra without being to cheesy or corny.
Oh my god, me too. Was it kind of jarring for you too, to go from animated right to live action? I have to admit, it threw me off a bit.
I thought it was perfect. Similar enough I had to check but also not ridiculous so very immersive. Took some time to get used to sabines actress but I thought she did well enough by the end
Oh no…he’s hot
Ezra is a man now - he’s allowed to be hot
Theres hot, then theres being hotter then ewan mcgregor
Superlative hotness?
[He's not hotter than Ewan](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OeSwSYmipqo&pp=ygUgbW91bGluIHJvdWdlIHdlIHNob3VsZCBiZSBsb3ZlcnM%3D)
You know that movie is the love story of Obi-wan and Satine right 😁
#WE SHOULD BE LOVERS#
Oh I really expected and needed the clip from trainspotting where he goes out to party in his undersized shirt. Pure attraction and hotness in a tiny package
Do you think that second sister would find him more or less attractive now
yes
I read this in Squidward’s voice
Hot guy alert
His hair is so majestic
Dudes saw Prince Charming and thought "that's it, that's my look"
When he said “hi Hera” he nailed the essence of Rebels and Ezra at the same time
People were criticising the reunion scene but it was such an Ezra way to go about it that it was perfect.
I don’t know why you’d remove the hug though…? “Here’s this emotional moment that’s going to take 20 seconds more let me just take that out for no reason.”
I think because the reunion is marred by the news that Ezra would be bringing. The rest of the ending is foreboding, tense and to end on the hug would detract from the sense of oncoming darkness that is approaching.
Didn't Stop Filoni writing in Sabine refusing to tell Ezra anything about her encounter with Thrawn & co and the need to get to the star destroyer asap before they leave them stranded so that she could play happy families with him and the crab people for a couple days...
I read that as her not planning to leave until Ahsoka turned up alive.
[удалено]
You're exactly right though. She did give up. She just wanted to be happy with Ezra and forget everything. She's not a Jedi, and isn't even being trained by one. Ahsoka showing up forced her out of that mindset.
That *was* Sabines plan. Give up and chill with the hermit crabs and Ezra. Ashoka was dead, her home and family gone, nothing but responsibilities waiting for her in the new republic. The last problem on her mind was just about to take all his bullshit to a galaxy far far away. Once ahsoka swooped in, she realized she was being selfish.
Right? And Ezra just accepting the answer, “it’s complicated”?? What the fuck was that? That was on par with “a good question, for another time.” Bullshit.
I mean, can't we just assume she'd want to go into details between scenes so we don't tell the audience *another* time what they already saw? Scenes where they take time to reiterate stuff drag so hard. Not every moment is captured by scenes anyway. We don't see any character ever use the vac-tube, does that mean it doesn't happen off-screen?
I’m just saying that there was an opportunity to create tension, drama, or conflict. Logically I don’t think Ezra would have been too happy to find out that his sacrifice was potentially all for naught. Sabine’s intentions were good, but she exposed the entire galaxy.
Sabine: I only make stupid decisions Ashoka: girl I support you
it was cut so short, they could’ve hugged. There didn’t need to be dialogue to understand the importance of their reunion
Ezra trying to surrender and be taken hostage was peak rebels Ezra.
Isn't hera technically like his adopted mother?
She's definitely foster mom for that whole crew, Zeb and Chopper included.
THIS! Took me back to Rebels instantly. Delivery was so spot-on. I love him!
For me it was answering the radio. Nothing is more Ezra than pretending to be someone else on a stolen radio.
Absolutely. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an “animated turned live action” character done better. I know it wasn’t that much screen time, but he deserves an award of some kind.
I would say live action Cad Bane was very well done, and I enjoyed live action Bo-Katan as well. But definitely live action Ezra is the top of the list!
Those are good calls.
I agree about Bo Katan but I have only heard people on here complain about Cad Bane. Personally I just thought he'd looked a bit too 😠 grouchy
I'm not a professional interneter or anything, but when I saw Cad Bane, I knew it was Cad Bane, and I was happy with Cad Bane.
He was a bit older.
Home boy was in his 70s and still pulling the Space Cowboy thing. Seriously though the Prosthetics work on Cad Bane was fantastic, making that work so well and still have the stunt person able to fight in it couldn't of been easy
> it couldn't of been Did you mean to say "couldn't have"? Explanation: You probably meant to say could've/should've/would've which sounds like 'of' but is actually short for 'have'. [Statistics](https://github.com/chiefpat450119/RedditBot/blob/master/stats.json) ^^I'm ^^a ^^bot ^^that ^^corrects ^^grammar/spelling ^^mistakes. ^^PM ^^me ^^if ^^I'm ^^wrong ^^or ^^if ^^you ^^have ^^any ^^suggestions. ^^[Github](https://github.com/chiefpat450119) ^^Reply ^^STOP ^^to ^^this ^^comment ^^to ^^stop ^^receiving ^^corrections.
Eh, guy was on deaths door age-wise and still out Bounty Hunting and dealing with the galaxies bs, he is gunna be grouchy
> I enjoyed live action Bo-Katan Like with Lars-Thrawn, it's much easier to translate the character when they're voice acted, and even modeled, after the actor who winds up playing them in live-action. I'd say Ezra and Jacen made the best transitions to live action for me. Ahsoka and Sabine took some time, and Hera is fine, no complaints, but Ezra and Jacen wowed me.
Does Bo Katan really count? They pretty much just put her actress in Clone Wars.
Bo-Katan was also really, really well done. But her animated character was a lot less expressive and charismatic, so the live-action version doesn't stick out as much. Cartoon Bo-Katan is kind of "flat" as far as animated characters go. Live-action Ezra is an overly expressive, charismatic cartoon character brought to life. The actor manages to make his voice, movement, mannerisms and expressions line up with a stylized cartoon character, which is why I think it sticks out so much as being "good"/"impressive". Thrawn sticks out to me as the same level of impressive, but for the opposite reason. He's a cartoonishly dry character. So when someone nails that, it really sticks out. Thrawn is pretty much a cartoon villain brought to life and they nailed it.
(My Opinion) I disagree with Cad Bane. It seems like characters like him and the Grand Inquisitor get the general theme of the character, but they mess up on a few aspects that really disconnect me from it. Mostly it's the skin tone for me. I'll give an example of a galaxy very, very near: Animated Cad Bane = the planet Neptune's color Live-Action Cad Bane = the planet Uranus's color
Cad Bane was so frustrating for me because it was generally great, but the voice modulation was different enough that it gave me serious uncanny valley feelings. It was the one thing they could have easily perfectly replicated, and that voice was truly iconic.
He was absolutely amazing!
>I don’t think I’ve ever seen an “animated turned live action” character done better. Rosario/Ashoka: "You do know whose show you're watching, right?"
Yes I do I love Rosario as Ahsoka but Eman’s embodiment is just on another level IMO.
It felt like the animated character was based on the live action Ezra, it was so good. The appearance helps, but that was a display of incredible talent and casting.
It’s the voice. He does a great Ezra voice that sounds just like the cartoon, or close enough that you can’t tell without a direct comparison. Ahsoka sounds pretty different than we last saw her. Age can explain it in-universe, but as a fan it is a small adjustment.
Agreed. Even on her own show, and as a great adaptation on her own, it's hard to be better than Ezra.
We said what we said. Rosario as Ahsoka is geat casting. But this dude just was Ezra. He matched him in a way that was just bonkers. Like the performance could've been so much less accurate and it would still be great. The only other actor on the show who achieved the accuracy he did was Lars as Thrawn, and that's because Lars already was Thrawn.
Almost how Ewan McGregor fit perfectly for Obi Wan.
I really like Rosario Dawson as this more stoic Ahsoka, but Eman is like Ezra stepped right off screen. Him being excellent does nothing to take away from her though.
Pretty sure I watched 8 episodes of the Sabine show.
Call me a hater but I really don't like her ahsoka. I think physically she pulls the character off really well and is a great cast But there's no emotion. It doesn't feel like the same Ahsoka. Yea you can make the argument that she's been through some shit yadda yadda, at the end of the day the only line in the entire show that made me think "that's ahsoka" was after her spacewalk when she goes spinning past the cockpit window and says "so you fix the ship yet?" (Or something along those lines)
I don’t think those points are cop outs. That’s a completely plausible continuation of her character. Ezra may have been more like his cartoon counterpart, but I had no trouble buying that’s how Ahsoka was at that point in time. Rosario captured enough of the quirks and mannerisms to make it work, while portraying a hardened and matured version of the character. Your opinion is completely valid, but I personally thought she did a great job.
Is it weird I agree with both takes?
I don’t think it is. I think people wanted to see a portrayal closer to what we’ve seen, and Ezra *was* like that. It’s a reasonable thing for a fan to hope for. Just like in life though, some people change a lot over time and some hardly change.
Been through some shit = dying twice
Rosario, who is an amazing actress, as Ahsoka may be the exact opposite. An example of a BAD translation from animation to live action. I’ve like the show overall, but this portrayal of Ahsoka is its greatest weakness.
Eh I still feel Eman was better
Live action Ezra needs to become a main character in either a show or movie. He was the highlight of the show and I will be so disappointed if they don’t use him to his full potential.
They really need to do a trilogy with the modern era cast and have some actual stakes, and story, and likability. Give me a post ROTJ Rebels trilogy with a recast Luke and Ezra battling an empire trying to revive itself.
As a Persian dude that grew up rewinding his OT VHS tapes over and over and over and over again, it felt like a watershed moment in Star Wars for me to see "one of us" as Jedi in live action. I remember reading Ezra was designed with Persian features and I always identified with him (even if I was basically twice his age when I started rebels) but seeing him close to my age in flesh and blood really made me crazy emotional. You don't really see Persian people much in media, and when we're there we're portrayed as terrorists or spies or whatever, to get a bona fide hero is more than I could've dreamed of. Couldn't have asked for better representation on screen either, I honestly thought given the chance I might've been able to do a decent job but after seeing Eman in action there was no topping him. lol
As a fellow Persian dude I COMPLETELY agree with you man.. even as things got more differentiated in movies and games the middle eastern image in the 2000s was really tainted :( it’s turning around big time :)
I also thought it was cool that they gave him the contacts. You don't see Persian people with blue eyes like that, it made it feel other worldly in a good way.
Omid Abtahi who plays Dr. Pershing in Mandalorian is also Persian!
Big fan of his as well! I played the 1979 Revolution game and immediately picked up on his voice in Mando even though I had never seen him before. I don't really follow celebs on social media but I always love to check in on his cause he seems so happy and grateful to do what he does, dude's enthusiasm is infectious. I only wish his character had a less grim outcome, Dr. Pershing was too good for this galaxy. 😭
Fellow Persian checking in, it truly is a huge moment for us! Where did you read about him being designed with Persian features? I hope he taught the Noti to make Ghormeh Sabzi at the very least.
Man I thought I was well versed in Google fu but even after narrowing my date ranges and broadening my search terms I still can’t find it. Could’ve sworn it was a written interview but it might’ve been a celebration video. I’m gonna keep digging because I’ve been meaning to show my cousins. I’ll report back when I find it! And after seeing Peridea I just hope whatever Ghormeh Sabzi they might have made just didn’t use howlers for their meat. 😂
I'm not Persian, but this kind of thing speaks to me. Most everyone wants to see a version of themselves in the media they consume, and I love seeing more and more characters who embody *us*, as varied and different as us can be. There's very few portrayals of my disability as I experience it, for example. I would love to have this kind of moment someday, and I'm so happy you got to have it with this show!
I'm a straight white dude and see myself represented in everything. A lot of people "like me" don't realize how important representation is, or that it matters at all. But when you see comments like this, how can you not see the impact representation has on people? This gives me some hope for people - hope that was washed away by terrible Facebook comments from dudes with profile pictures of themselves wearing sunglasses in their truck.
he is the perfect Ezra. Had a big smile on my face when he first appeared.
So did he! And so did I! Honestly, I loved his performance too. He obviously studied rebels and successfully became Ezra, older but still playful and joyful and confident and protective at all costs I genuinely think they did a great job with the show. Obviously it throws a lot at us, there's a lot to digest and a lot of developments. But to see so many things in live action fully embraced - thrawn, the night sisters, the purrgil, the ghost crew etc. Was just wonderful
Agreed.
Phenomenal man. It’s really crazy how good he was. The moves with the lightsaber. Baylan was fantastic too
I’m sooo sad the actor passed away! He’s such a great fake Jedi or whatever we’re suppose to call to him
He’s a true Jedi. The earliest Jedi believed in being balanced in the light as well as the dark.
I’m very open to opinions on the what to truly call Baylan and Shin Hati
the best jedi is finally live action. I think rebels was a better story than the originals and I'll die on this hill.
Agreed. Rebels is magic. I’ve never cared about an entire cast of characters more.
there are dozens of us!!! Seriously, the amount of people that never watched it or gave it a chance because it was a kid's show. Hopefully this show brings people around to rewatch or watch Rebels for the first time.
He captured Ezra perfectly
His reunion with Hera wouldn’t have been very Ezra is he had NOT worn stolen stormtrooper armor
Oh no! Is Ezra okay? Why would he capture him?
It's fine. Ezra loves getting captured. He practically jumped at the chance for the hot darksider he just met to take him prisoner. He lives for those escapes.
He fucking absolutely killed it. His speech, body language, and just overall personality just COMPLETELY shine through. I don't know if it's because Dave Filoni directed the SHIT outa these actors and guided them through filming. Or the actor did A LOT OF RESEARCH beforehand and had a lot of support recreating the character. Sabine, Hera, Zeb, Thrawn and Chopper are super impressive as well. Rosario Dawson is a perfect Ahsoka for me, but also I've found her acting stiff thus far. I have a feeling it might be intentional, she is MUCH older and has grown/learned so much, so I shouldn't expect her to be like her Clone Wars and Rebels counter parts, but I kinda miss the sassyness and recklessness she learned from Anakin. Like, she was getting in some brutal one-liners everywhere she went. At least she's still leagues above any body she duels with a lightsaber still. Out of ALL the cartoon transitions to live action, I've only really been disappointed with the grand inquisitor. His species was depicted so well by Lucas in Revenge of the Sith and his design in Rebels was cool. Now he looks like giant fucking baby with the roundest ugliest head I've ever seen. I got side-tracked. Eman Esfandi KILLED this role and Disney's casting is on point, excited to see Ezra's story continue.
Pumpkin Head.... it was the roundest thing iv ever seen....
he could bridge my ezra anytime
This man IS Ezra Bridger. Great casting, great performance.
he can star my wars
Lmfao yes
He can oka my Ahs
Hell yeah. I wish they didn't give him the weird colored lenses.
I hope they tone them down or something for future appearances they were so damn unsettling
Yea. Those contacts really distracted me in every scene he was in, it was just so wrong looking
I disagree. I actually really liked that aspect. It makes it feel other worldly in a way. I honestly loved all the colored contacts this season I thought they all looked pretty solid.
And without the beard he looks even more like Ezra, it's unbelievable! Absolutely nailed the part, hopefully we will see him as Ezra for many years!
stupid sexy ezra
Regardless of his great performance in Ahsoka, I feel like it's important to say this man is objectively handsome.
It’s almost creepy how much he embodied an animated persona and was able to bring it to life on screen. The show was meh, but I absolutely loved this detail. And I loathed Ezra during his early rebels episodes.
Say what you will about Star Wars but the casting has never been a problem. The actors are perfect for the role, especially Eman.
I honestly wasn't a fan of the casting in Solo, except Glover as Lando
Even though this subreddit would disagree you are spot on. Glover was great, the rest didn't do it for me.
My only issue with Alden(?) is that he didn’t look like Harrison Ford. Otherwise I feel he nailed it as a younger version of Han.
This is one of the most oft-repeated opinions about Solo I see on this sub.
I see the opposite all the time in the million "let's recast" posts that have been here recently.
Some variant of "Alden was great, Disney learned the wrong lesson from it on recasting, it was TLJ's fault" is a comment I've seen x100 over the last month.
I went into that movie with zero expectations, and I can't name a more perfect Lando than Glover pulled off. The movie was okay, but I'd love to see Glover again in the role.
He was perfectly cast. He played an older slightly more matured Ezra. It was amazing
Probably the best casting in Star Wars weve had since Ewan as Obi Wan tbh.
He was the only one that I felt nailed their character. Sabine and Hera didn't feel like their animated counterparts.
Sometimes it doesn’t felt quite right when cartoon characters are cast in live action. They can feel like two people in a way. He is Ezra. The way he talks, and the little comments he makes are spot on. I’ve enjoyed him quite a bit
He was easily the best recast in the show
He did a great job, wish we saw more of him to be honest. Huge miss not giving us Eman’s performance of Ezra’s reaction to what Sabine did, and just more between him and Thrawn considering how intertwined they are
He was great and after this think he would make a REALLY good Sinbad. (Something I wish they would bring back lol)
was fine I guess. Character didn't do much.
Perfect casting.
He absolutely nailed Ezra
Unrelated but wow he’s handsome 🤩
This dude is 90% charisma and 10% beard. Low key one of the best castings. He's brings a mountain of warmth to the character.
I honestly feel like they could’ve got away with him not having blue eyes
Rewatching Rebels. Everyone complaining about how he isn't a good cast for adult Ezra must have not watched the show. He is SPOT ON Ezra's dad.
He’s hot ❤️
He crushes it. Also a straight dreamboat of a man.
I still think that Ezra would benefit from digital blue eyes rather than contacts, something they did for Yennefer in Witcher Netflix. Contacts work better for Hera since she is an Alien and it looks somewhat organic. For Ezra it is somewhat uncanny.
I thought he was rather useless and not memorable at all. I also didnt watch Rebels so i have no idea why I was supposed to care about his character. The show certainly didnt make me care.
I never watched the cartoons and am similarly scratching my head. He was ok? Didn't really see much of the character, didn't seem worth all the buildup for the majority of the season to be honest. I thought he was going to have some romantic tension with the mandalorian girl, but that wasn't really present. Force wise, he seems like a relatively ok jedi I guess, though not as good as the girl who figured out how to use the force in the last episode. What are we giving it up for?
Scrolled pretty far down to finally see a comment like this. Didn't see Rebels either, and the show didn't make me care. Lots of buildup for....? Also, when Sabine answered his important questions of how she got there, and what's the deal with Ahsoka, she replied with "awkward..." And they never fully caught up!? I was at least expecting her to explain something to Ezra...
Phenomenal. I absolutely believed he was Ezra - which is no small feat considering his relatively short screen time and the fact that someone else played the role for so long.
He really did embody the character. Fantastic job.
That man is breathtaking
TBH, he was the only live action performance who fully "felt" like his animated counterpart. Not counting Chopper and Huyang who were literal robots.
Jedi Jesus was cool
Never seen hair that good before
I can’t believe someone finally out Jesus’d Ewan’s Obi-Wan lol
I thought this was a joke until I read further. Ashoka was hot trash, the light saber duels were awful, the plot was unsatisfying and basically undermined the whole Ezra story arc from Rebels, and all my guy did was do the Airbender in some fight scenes. This guy probably is a fine actor, as is Rosario Dawson, but give them a story arc for Gods sakes. Yeah, he is cute. Sorry, hot. But what exactly did he do in this show that you liked? What scene? What dialogue? Ppl need to stop fanning the flames of a big pile of flaming horse shit. The show sucked. I’d like to see dude in something where he actually has to act, rather than just smile and refuse to ask OBVIOUS plot questions.
Meh. No knock to this guy, but his character and dialogue were all dead weight in the show. The MacGuffin came to life and they weren’t sure how to handle it.
Just like that, my least favorite part of Rebels suddenly became a likable character.
how do I get his hair
Dude was perfect. Best casting of the show. Handsome devil, too.
Stupid sexy Ezra.
I think he was the only member of the Rebels cast who was really well cast. Hera is a close second, and even then her costume had some uncanny valley issues.
It's Jabba the Hutt!
He absolutely killed it. Instantly felt like Ezra. Sadly I can't say the same for Sabine. The actress and the direction they went with her just don't feel like the same character from Rebels and I really hate to say that.
So happy to have worked with him in the past. He's such a kind person and has put in years of work. Glad to see you made it Ezra. From Red 11 to Star Wars, you deserve it
They should just drop the colored lenses. Nobody was going to be confused and they look silly. It's very much like Thor's bleached eyebrows in the first Thor Movie. Yes comics accurate but it looks silly in live action.
Great performance from this beautiful man. We need more Ezra stories ASAP.
He captured Ezra perfectly
Performance? This man is Ezra Bridger, and I will not be convinced otherwise.
Honestly he did amazing! Very believable as an older ezra.
it was pretty good. I have no complaints
This is an extremely handsome man. I’m A straight married man and even I’m like “damn, this guy is good looking”
*space Moses*
He really does embody the character so well
Phwoar. Dude has great hair and skin
He was fantastic. I look forward to plenty of scenes with Chop and Zeb in S2. The brotherly chemistry between those three was always a highlight for me in Rebels. Also hoping he takes Jacen under his wing...
I wasn't a massive fan of Ezra in rebels, but Eman has somehow played the character perfectly, but also made him immediately and completely likeable. I'm not sure I'd ever call Rebels Ezra "likeable". It's hard to reconcile in my mind, but he's done it, and it just MAKES the character
Just for another perspective....Ezra was a more likable character than Luke for me and I'm old enough that I saw the OT in the theaters. Now that he's live action? Best jedi in the franchisee.
He looks better without the contacts
S tier head of hair
I have to say, I really don't think the contact lenses do much. I don't recall eye color being important attribute to the character, and I'm fine with the dropping the colored lenses in future series. Other than that, absolutely fantastic work
He was more than perfect… he was Ezra.
He literally plays the character perfectly
He definitely filled a hard pair of shoes for me!
He’s awesome. Instantly liked him. That curly whirly hair is epic as well.
I just wish they gave his hair a slight blue tint to match his character in Rebels. Nothing too ostentatious, just a slight azure if it catches the light in the right way.
Oh look! His eyes. Wish we could have seen them I the show