Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Sabine Wren in the upcoming Disney+ Star Wars: Ahsoka series, has revealed how she was cast in the role whilst filming the Netflix movie Day Shift with Jamie Foxx.
You joined the Star Wars galaxy as Sabine Wren, alongside Rosario Dawson on Ahsoka. Is it true that the casting happened so quickly that you were a bit skeptical?
Absolutely. To this day, it’s one of the strangest and most wonderful casting experiences of my life. I actually booked it while I was shooting Day Shift, and the week I booked it, I was a little bit unwell. I didn’t have COVID or anything, but I was a bit under the weather.
It was the fangs.
Exactly! It was mouth ulcers from wearing the fangs. (Laughs.) But I remember it was a very, very coded thing that didn’t give you any information. I had a scene from Top Gun to audition with, and I played this male pilot. And then there was another scene. I can’t remember what it was from, but it obviously wasn’t a scene from the show. So I just knew it was a very elusive Jon Favreau-related project, and at this point, like most actors, for my own mental health, I sent off the tape and didn’t think about it again. I’ve been through absolute circuses with casting where it’s like four callbacks, two director zooms and then it’s just complete silence. You never hear from anyone again. So I sent off the tape, didn’t hear anything for a few weeks and thought, “Yep, that’s another one.”
And it was with [casting director] Sarah Finn, so I assumed it was something to do with Marvel because she usually does Marvel. But lo and behold, I was on set working with Jamie and I got like 16 missed calls from my team. I was like, “Oh God, what’s happened?” So I called them and they were like, “We are just as flabbergasted as you are probably about to be, because this has come out of left field. You have an offer.”
Wow.
And then they were like, “Tell us, do you like the Mandalorian?” And I was like, “Yeah, why?” (Laughs.) Months later, when I met with Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau, Jon explained his thoughts behind casting and how, as an actor himself, he understands the stress of casting. We’re often asked to jump through hoops when the creative people behind the project probably already know whether or not they really want you for the role. So he just tried to make it as seamless as possible, and I was shocked to say the least.
And even though you didn’t know it was a Star Wars thing, you still happened to do a Han Solo-type performance, right?
Totally. I had a scene where some of the lines were like, “Hey lady, I’ve got all these problems, so stop bothering me. All the work is moving south for the winter.” So this lady was trying to pay my character to help her or something, and my friend and I were like, “It’s almost like a young Han Solo kind of feeling.” So that was just complete chance, and I still think of his role often, energetically, as I’m doing [Ahsoka] now. It’s just such a great energy and very inspiring.
Read more of the interview here and learn if she was required to binge watch Star Wars Rebels. Watch Day Shift on Netflix now.
