Star Wars fans have come to Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s support after some lambasted her casting in the series.
The actress was introduced in the first episode of the Disney Plus programme as Hera Syndulla, a General in the New Republic who is an ally of the main character, Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson).
When it was reported that she had been cast in the series, many fans recognised she already had a Star Wars connection through her husband, none other than Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Ewan McGregor.
Of course, some detractors were quick to point out that Mary only got the part because of her husband, disregarding the fact that she’s a fantastic actress in her own right.
Furthermore, as numerous people pointed out, this isn’t the first time someone with a previous connection to Star Wars has been cast in a film or TV programme.
One person who felt Mary’s marriage to Ewan was relevant to her casting tweeted: ‘Mary Elizabeth Winstead playing Hera is interesting considering she is now married to Ewan McGregor aka Obi-Wan Kenobi. Keeping Lucasfilm in the family!’
Viewers have praised Mary for her portrayal as Hera, with many praising her in particular for the way she brought the role to life, given that the character was previously seen in the animated series Star Wars Rebels.
One person pointed out that, for anybody who feels the need to bring up Mary’s marriage to Ewan, the Obi-Wan actor himself had a familial link in Star Wars before he even donned the Jedi robes.
Denis Lawson played Rebel pilot Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy, and he has subsequently reprised the character in the computer game Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader, the animated series Star Wars: Visions, and the 2019 film The Rise of Skywalker.
Esther-Rose, the Moulin Rouge actor’s daughter, auditioned for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, and Billie Lourd, the late Carrie Fisher’s daughter, also had a role in the sequel trilogy as Lieutenant Kaydel Ko Connix.
‘Wait I just saw someone on here saying Mary Elizabeth Winstead was a nepotism hire bc she’s married to Ewan and BUDDY DO I HAVE SOME NEWS FOR YOU ABOUT STAR WARS CASTING,’ one person tweeted alongside pictures of Ewan with Dennis and Carrie with Billie.
One of those who praised Mary’s performance in Ahsoka praised her for mirroring Vanessa Marshall’s voice performance as Hera in the animated programme Rebels.
‘Can I just say that I really enjoyed Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera. I thought she perfectly captured Vanessa Marshall from Rebels,’ they wrote.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Hera Syndulla is so mother🙌🏽👏🏽 #AhsokaTano #TanoTuesday #HeraSyndulla #Ahsoka pic.twitter.com/E15Cs1qzvf
— 𝙶𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚎✖️✖️//💥⏳🥀🐉 (@giselleb1234) August 23, 2023
Hera is my fav ❤️
Mary Elizabeth Winstead perfectly captures the character from Rebels #Ahsoka pic.twitter.com/Nyivn6lQkq— Frank Perez (@frank_sylar) August 23, 2023
@vanmarshall missed hearing your voice on #Ahsoka but Mary Elizabeth Winstead has done the character proud.
Delighted that one of the best characters in Star Wars gets a new lease of life. pic.twitter.com/ukQPgWbIYU
— Chris Broadbent (@BroadbentChris) August 23, 2023
‘Rosario Dawson perfect as Ahsoka. Natasha Liu Bordizzo perfect as Sabine. Mary Elizabeth Winstead perfect as Hera! The casting team knew what they were doing!!!’ someone else added.
One person described Birds of Prey star Mary as ‘one of the best action stars we have today’, bringing up her performances in Gemini Man and Kate as examples.
Another diehard Star Wars fan remarked: ‘Delighted that one of the best characters in Star Wars gets a new lease of life.’
Ahsoka is available to watch on Disney Plus with new episodes released on Wednesdays.
