Here's The Star Wars Characters Rahul Kohli Wants To Play Instead Of Ezra Bridger - Exclusive
Actor Rahul Kohli is known for being a hardcore fan of many geeky pop culture properties — and as such, other fans of those properties often want him to get cast in them. One fan casting idea that's taken on a life of its own is for Kohli to play an older, live-action version of Ezra Bridger, a character first introduced in the animated series "Star Wars Rebels."
During the airing of "The Mandalorian" Season 2 in 2020, rumors spread about a casting call for actors of South Asian descent to play a live-action Ezra in a future Disney+ "Star Wars" series. Fans immediately started guessing Kohli. Kohli fueled this speculation by making jokes and sharing fan art, but he confirmed that he had neither auditioned for the part nor been asked to throw his hat in the ring.
Kohli's embrace of fans' enthusiasm for this fan casting has led to a perception by some that he was campaigning for this role. However, Looper got the chance to speak with Kohli at the 2022 Tribeca Festival (where his new ghost story film "Next Exit" made its world premiere), and he revealed that he is actually more interested in playing two different "Star Wars" characters, should Disney and LucasFilm ever give him the opportunity.
Kohli wants Star Wars Expanded Universe roles
Rahul Kohli told Looper, "I don't campaign for roles," but if he could pick any "Star Wars" characters to play, it wouldn't necessarily be Ezra.
"The characters that I would love to see on screen," he said, "were the [Star Wars Expanded Universe] characters that are now legacy characters. Dash Rendar and Kyle Katarn were two characters I was very fond of as a kid. I'd love to see them be brought back into the new 'Star Wars' canon. If I'm not working on a Mike Flanagan show and Disney is okay with my social media presence and tweets, then I'd love to play one of those two."
In the Expanded Universe (aka Legends) continuity, Dash Rendar was a smuggler, while Kyle Katarn was an Imperial defector-turned-Rebel and eventual member of the New Jedi Order. Rendar has been acknowledged in Disney's current "Star Wars" continuity via a mention in the book "Solo: A Star Wars Story: Tales from Vandor," whereas Katarn has had no such acknowledgment and would likely require serious changes given the lack of a fully-established New Jedi Order in the current timeline. Should the people at LucasFilm want to do more with either of these characters, Kohli is definitely interested.