‘The first time you turn a lightsaber on, you make the noise’: The late Ray Stevenson shares his experiences filming ‘Ahsoka’

As the Star Wars family — and world at large — continue to mourn the death of Ray Stevenson, Entertainment Weekly recently shared one of the Irish actor’s last interviews detailing his role in the highly anticipated Disney Plus series Ahsoka.

Posthumously appearing as Baylan Skoll, a supposed fallen Jedi, Stevenson shared his unabridged thoughts on joining a franchise that needs no introduction.

“One of the things that was so overwhelming at first was the costumes are works of art. And the set designs. You think, who designed this? And then you look at the set construction that is surrounding you — the technical and creative talent is quite breathtaking. And you’ve got to summon it up from the balls of your feet, stand your ground, and own the space.”

Star Wars certainly isn’t a stranger to craftsmanship, and that attention to detail seems to be something Ray Stevenson couldn’t get enough of. When asked about the filmmaking machine that Disney cultivates, Stevenson spoke only to its grandeur.

“One of the things that was so overwhelming at first was the costumes are works of art. And the set designs. You think, who designed this? And then you look at the set construction that is surrounding you — the technical and creative talent is quite breathtaking. And you’ve got to summon it up from the balls of your feet stand your ground and own the space.”

Becoming a character in that galaxy far, far away seems to be just as daunting a process of bringing it all to life — and although fairly tight-tipped, Stevenson gave some valuable insight on the mysterious Force-wielder he’s playing.

“He has a kind of, I would say, an inherent ability. It’s like, if you don’t stand in his way, he’s got no malicious attitude at all. But if you do, you’d just be swept aside, because there’s something that’s driving him that Dave Filoni and Jon (Favreau) know, and is hopefully going to be revealed throughout the telling. And it’s just breathtaking.”

Breathtaking is right. Following the 40-year anniversary of Return of the Jedi (another anniversary I’m sure you’ve forgotten), Star Wars icons like Warwick Davis, Anthony Daniels, Ian McDiarmid, and Billy Dee Williams sat down at Celebration to discuss how these intergalactic tales have stayed relevant for more than four decades.

Always bringing new talent into the fold, Ray Stevenson couldn’t be more excited to join Star Wars and its ongoing legacy. Talking about what it was like to light up a lightsaber for the first time, Stevenson gave an answer we’ve all heard before.

“I must admit, the first time you turn a lightsaber on, you make the noise. And then you’re like, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’ Everybody does that, but you just can’t help it!”

Although Ray Stevenson won’t physically be around to enjoy the release of Ahsoka this August — I’d like to think that he’ll be there in spirit, watching over the rest of us as only a Jedi can.