‘Ahsoka’ Pays Touching Tribute To The Late Ray Stevenson
While last night’s debut of the new Disney+ series Ahsoka was a time for joy for many Star Wars fans, seeing the late actor Ray Stevenson make his debut as Baylan Skoll was a bittersweet affair.
Stevenson died on May 21 on the Italian island of Ischia at the age of 58. The actor had wrapped his performance on Ahsoka and was working on Cassino in Ischia when he was rushed to the hospital. One day later, the celebrated actor died.
Ahsoka Pays Tribute To Stevenson
In a touching tribute to the late actor, before the credits rolled at the end of Ahsoka’s first episode a title card appeared on-screen reading, “For our friend, Ray.”
Stevenson’s turn as a Dark Jedi in the first two episodes of Ahsoka was well-received by fans and critics alike, who lauded the late actor’s performance.
Rosario Remembers Stevenson as “Gentle” and “Brilliant”
In an interview with People Magazine conducted before the advent of the SAG-AFTRA strike, Rosario Dawson remembered Stevenson as an “almost, like, Nordic kind of man, you know, who was very heavy-handed and then just like the most gentle, brilliant, like loving divine feminine spirit.”
View this post on Instagram
“You just had the most extraordinary conversations with him about his family and philosophies,” she says. “I’ve had so many people who I know are friends with him. We were so blessed to have him working with us. He made all of us better.”
A Formidable Opponent
In addition to being a gentle philosopher, Dawson also lauded Stevenson as a formidable opponent when it came to filming Ahsoka’s lightsaber duels.
“I was like fighting for my life [while filming fight sequences with Stevenson]. And I was talking about that with Dave [Filoni]. I was like, am I gonna be able to talk about how heavy-handed he was?” Dawson tells PEOPLE. “‘Cause he was just like, woo. I was like I’m really having to protect myself here. We’re putting in the work.”
Ray Stevenson will be missed by family, friends, and fans alike.
Episodes 1 & 2 of Ahsoka are now streaming on Disney+
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!