An interview with Diana Lee Inosanto at Rebel Scum Con, a Star Wars fan convention. Inosanto, who plays Morgan Elsbeth, discusses bringing her martial arts background to the role. As well as the character’s development in shows like Ahsoka and Tales of the Empire. The convention features panels and opportunities to meet Star Wars actors and creators.
Interview with Diana Lee Inosanto at Rebel Scum Con
The Integration of Martial Arts and Star Wars
Diana Lee Inosanto has always viewed martial arts as her roots and heritage. She finds it very meaningful that this background became a tool she could use for something else she loves, Star Wars.
Diana Lee Inosanto: I’m still kind of shocked that I’ve always regarded my martial arts as my roots and my heritage. So the fact that years into the future, it would become something that I could use as a tool in something else that I love very much, which is Star Wars, is very meaningful for me. My first time ever discovering Star Wars was when my dad was doing a martial arts seminar in Aspen, Colorado. All these martial arts students had nothing to do except on a Saturday night and we all went to see the very original Star Wars. My dad later on after the movie was done goes, “could you imagine if you could do a fight scene with lightsabers and two of them?”. And so he used to train me with plastic lightsabers once in a while for fun. And it’s just so weird that I flash forward into time and I’m doing this amazing fight scene of Rosario.
Diana Lee Inosanto on Portraying Morgan Elsbeth
When she was first cast, she believed the character was still evolving. Inosanto notes that Morgan’s history contains a lot of metaphor that reflects current societal issues. She considers this a testament to Dave Filoni’s constant thoughtfulness in his storytelling.
Diana Lee Inosanto: Morgan Ellsbyth is Dave Filoni’s creation, as well as Ahsoka. So to play this character came with great responsibility. And we would talk. And I think even in the time that I was first cast, I believe the character was still evolving in her roots. So it was a surprise to me that I would later discover her history, that she was a night sister, and that she was part of the huge massacre that had happened. But as much as it’s incredible storytelling of her background, there’s a lot of metaphor to her history that reflects certain climates of what we are dealing with today in our societies. And so that is a testament to Dave Filoni, always thinking on his feet about how he wants to express storytelling through this character.
Trauma and Character Evolution
Inosanto also discusses how both Morgan and Ahsoka experienced horrific things but evolved in completely different ways.
Diana Lee Inosanto: They deal with what happens with trauma. I mean, you take a character like Ahsoka and you take a character like Morgan, who’ve both seen horrific things as young women. And then yet they evolve in completely different ways. Ahsoka was a rejection of some of the violence she sees. And she only utilizes her skill to help people. Whereas Morgan is a character who learned that she had a manipulative way and felt like this is the game that has to be played.
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