Photo:Jeff Spicer/Getty
Jeff Spicer/Getty
Ray Stevenson, who died at age 58 on Sunday, will appear posthumously in the upcomingStar WarsDisney+ seriesAshoka.In one of his final interviews before his death, the actor described his character as “stoically lethal.”
The late actor appeared at theStar WarsCelebrationconvention in April, where he offered some insight into his character Baylan Skroll while speaking withYahoo! Entertainment.
“Nothing scary about Baylan,” Stevenson said of the role. The character appears to be set up as something of an antagonist forAshokastarRosario Dawsonas she reprises her role as Ashoka Tano fromThe Mandalorianin the series.
“I think the exciting thing is to see and feel where this journey goes and how it’s impacting his journey,” he told the outlet. “Basically, if you’re in his way, he’ll politely request you get out of it, and if you don’t, you’ll be removed.”
Lucasfilm Ltd.
Prior to filming a live-actionStar Warsrole, Stevenson had made his way into the franchise with past voice appearances as a character named Gar Saxon in theRebelsandClone Warsanimated television series. At theStar WarsCelebration convention, the actor toldThe Hollywood Reporterthat “getting to wield the light saber is just the best feeling in the world” while speaking of his role inAshoka.
“The first time they handed it to me for the camera test, I couldn’t help myself, I made the noise," he told the outlet at the time.
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Stevenson’s publicist confirmed his death with PEOPLE on Monday, though no further information concerning his cause of death was available at the time.
The actor died three days prior to his 59th birthday. Italian newspaperLa Repubblicareported Monday that Stevenson was hospitalized following an illness while he filmed an upcoming movie titledCassino on Ischiaon the island of Ischia prior to his death.
Rich Polk/Getty
Aside from hisAshokarole andCassino in Ischia, Stevenson’s upcoming movieGateway to the Westhad entered post-production at the time of his death, according to hisIMDb profile.
In the year prior to Stevenson’s death, the actor starred as the antagonist Governor Buxton in the crossover 2022 Bollywood hitRRR, as well as in the filmsMemoryandAccident Man: Hitman’sHoliday.
Ashokabegins streaming on Disney+ in August.
source: people.com
