Lars Mikkelsen Cried At The Reaction To Grand Admiral Thrawn
Star Wars Celebration 2023 was filled with memorable moments and big audience reactions.
While the appearance of Daisy Ridley to help announce a new Rey Skywalker film was certainly the headline to come out of the gathering, it was not the moment that received the biggest audience reaction.
That distinction fell to a special trailer for the upcoming Disney+ series Ahsoka. In the clip, the face of Grand Admiral Thrawn was finally revealed.
Lars MIkkelsen Introduced
Following the trailer, Lars Mikkelsen, who voiced the cunning Imperial officer in Star Wars Rebels, took the stage to announce that he would also be portraying the character in live action.
Photo: Variety
The actor was met by thunderous applause from the audience of Star Wars faithful, something Mikkelsen wasn’t expecting.
“It was a very emotional moment that I didn’t expect to have,” Mikkelsen says. “But I think there’s a lot of love to be taken care of from the audience. And I felt enormous gratitude. It was amazing. Never tried anything like that.”
Photo: Scan Magazine
In fact, things got so emotional for the actor that he was fighting back tears.
“I had a hard time actually keeping my tears back,” reveals the actor. “I was really tearing up, I didn’t expect that.”
Jumping From Animation To Live-Action
While Star Wars fans were thrilled that Mikkelsen would be making the jump from animation to live-action to continue his role as Thrawn, the actor admits he never expected to be asked.
Photo: Polygon
“When David finally asked me if I wanted to do it, there were no doubts. Of course, I wanted to do that, so I’m very excited. But [as far as] the transition between Rebels and the actual live-action character? I hope it works!”
Who is Thrawn?
Grand Admiral Thrawn has been one of Star Wars’ most popular antagonists since the cunning military leader was introduced in Timothy Zahn’s 1995 expanded universe novel, Heir to the Empire.
The character then made his cannon debut in Star Wars Rebels.
Photo: Star Wars
When asked if the live-action version of Thrawn would be similar to his animated counterpart, Mikkelsen insisted that he would.
“In many ways, it’s the same character. He’s based on the same material. But we needed to think: Do this right.”
Finally, when asked if Thrawn was a villain, Lars Mikkelsen had a more nuanced take.
“He’s a top strategist,” says Mikkelsen. “He’s always seven paces ahead of anybody else. And ruthless, of course. But only when it’s needed, actually. I think he thrives also with the creativity of the surroundings. I mean, he’s not using people in a bad way. He’s using their creativity to reach his goals.”
Photo: Star Wars
Star Wars fans will get their first glimpse of Grand Admiral Thrawn in live-action when Ashoka debuts on Disney+ in August.
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