The shift from voicing an animated character to bringing to life a flesh and blood realisation of the same character may well be very much like Pinocchio morphing from wood to blood, and Katee Sackhoff discusses that transformation with Kristin Baver at StarWars.com, and her delight at bringing Bo from animation to live action.
Describing her character as a “headstrong rebel” and a warrior at her core, “she has never known how to lead,” Sackhoff says. “She’s always reserved that for her sister, for the diplomats and the politicians. She was the warrior. And I think that we’ve seen her from our first introduction to her and where we’re finding her now is this person who’s struggled with that and then ultimately leaned into it and realized that — pun intended! — this is the way. She is the rightful leader and she does know how to lead. She understands the way the Mandalorians think, their history, and their beliefs and who they are as a people. And that — we’ve seen her grow into that. And she still has faults.”
Behind the scenes, Sackhoff does not hesitate to call out her character’s sense of self-importance. “We’ve talked a lot about how she has a tremendous ego on her. And a lot of leaders do. Sometimes to be a good leader, you have to know that you know what is right for your people. And that does come with ego.”
Beyond that transformation, Sackhoff sees the character as a beacon of hope. “For a person who started out on the wrong side of this fight and to see her grow and broaden her mind and be open to change is such a metaphor for life and forgiveness,” Sackhoff says. “And how people can change. Because she did.”
