It feels like being a part of the Star Wars universe in any way is a dream come true for anybody. What did it mean to you to get to be a part of Star Wars Rebels?
PRINZE JR.: I’ve gotten to be a part of three legacy projects now, with Scooby Doo, the wars in space and Punky, and I’ve always treated all three of them with the level of respect that all three of them deserve. I have a familiarity with all three. I’ve been a fan of all three. I like Star Trek too. Getting to be a Jedi, the first moment is the best moment. It’s like a drug. The first moment was the audition. When I went in, I didn’t know it was Star Wars because they’re so stupidly secretive about everything. Who cares? Just tell people you’re making a Star Wars cartoon. I was in the parking lot and there was this legend voice actor. I won’t say his name, but he was smoking a joint in the parking lot, and he went, “Oh, you’re here for Star Wars?” I was like, “No, man, I’m here for something called Wolf Pack.” He goes, “No, man, it’s Star Wars.”
I went inside and saw the artwork on the wall and I was like, “Oh, wow, this is Star Wars. They’re just lying.” So then, I was looking at the role way different. I knew what they wanted. It was like Han Solo with a lightsaber. And I walked into a room and saw [Dave] Filoni with his goofy cowboy hat on that. I love that he’s so committed to it. Even when it’s not the coolest hat, if you still commit, it becomes cooler than it could have ever been, and I love that. So, I was one hundred percent certain what the show was, I read the lines and gave a real strong audition, felt great going out, and they called Seth Green to see if I was a good guy. Disney did not want me. They wanted someone else, but Dave wanted me. So, later that day, I got the call saying, “Hey, you’re gonna get the role.”
There were great moments, but no moment ever felt as good as that first audition that I got to do, to earn the role in the first place. The “Trials of the Darksaber” episode was my favorite episode out of all of them. Dave and I talked about me dying at Maul’s hand, at the end of Season 2, but then the same people who didn’t want me for the project suddenly said, “No, he can’t die. He has to be in every episode.” So, I guess I won them over, at some point. There were definitely some stand-out moments in there. The fight with Maul getting blinded was special. Teaching Sabine was special. The death, which everyone gives me the most credit for, has nothing to do with me. There’s no dialogue there. That’s all Dave, the animators, music and people more talented than me that made you think it was me. But nothing will top the audition. The audition was still the best part.
