Ahsoka Tano Voice Actress Ashley Eckstein Takes The High Road After Not Being Cast In 'The Mandalorian' Season 2

Last week, we dropped a huge exclusive scoop about Rosario Dawson bringing The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels animated character Ahsoka Tano to life in live-action form in the second season of the Star Wars series The Mandalorian on Disney+. Needless to say, the reaction from fans was mostly one of pure excitement that this character was being brought in to the live-action Star Wars universe. However, not everyone was thrilled about the news.

Ashley Eckstein is the voice actress who has played Ahsoka Tano for years (seen above right cosplaying as the character), and she's one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe. She's long hoped to play Ahsoka Tano in every possible form, so it should come as no surprise that a contingent of Star Wars fans have expressed disappointment and even anger that Eckstein wasn't asked to bring the character to life in The Mandalorian season 2. But as Ashley Eckstein has responded to the Mandalorian season 2 casting, she's taking the high road.

Here's what Ashley Eckstein posted to Instagram yesterday:

If you scroll through this post, you'll read a grateful letter from Ashley Eckstein responding to what she deems as a "rumor" about the casting of Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano in the second season The Mandalorian. Notice that she doesn't confirm this story, but instead only responds with graciousness to the show of support from fans in their reactions to the story. As she says:

"The truth is, I am not involved in The Mandalorian. I can't answer questions that I have not been a part of. I am an actress and have performed in all types of mediums; live action film/television, theater, voice-over, hosting and it has been my dream for 14 years to continue to play Ahsoka Tano in all forms. I will continue to be grateful for opportunities to help create stories for Ahsoka Tano and I am always happy to see her legacy continued. I am only one member of a tremendously talented team of people that it takes to bring Ahsoka Tano to life. The final decisions for Ahsoka are not mine to make and I cannot comment on something that I truly know nothing about."

That's an impressive bit of tapdancing while subtly confirming that if Ahsoka Tano really does appear in the second season of The Mandalorian (which she will), the character will not be played by Ashley Eckstein.

Eckstein is undoubtedly disappointed that she's not bringing Ahsoka Tano to life in live-action form, but taking the high road in this situation is a smart move. That's especially true when you have some fans expressing anger in a rather unsettling way, and it's better that she doesn't lend any credence to them by showing bitterness herself. Plus, we're probably likely to see Ahsoka Tano's adventures continue in the animated world sometime in the future, especially when you consider the end of Star Wars Rebels.

But for now, we're looking forward to The Mandalorian season 2, arriving on Disney+ sometime this fall.