From the Wolf Pack to Star Wars Rebels – Interview with Freddie Prinze Jr and Dave Filoni #StarWarsRebels #DisneyInHomeEvent

Disclosure: I received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles for the coverage of several press events for Disney. All opinions are 100% my own. #DisneyinHomeEvent #StarWarsRebels

Star Wars Rebels” premieres tonight with a one-hour movie “Star Wars Rebels: Spark of Rebellion,  FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 (9:00 p.m EST) on Disney Channel so I know exactly what I will be doing.  The half-hour series will premiere on Disney XD on MONDAY, OCTOBER 13 (9:00 pm EST). I told my husband that I had already seen a screening for the show and I know exactly why my kids are going to love it.  It is going to be a necessity because I am going to be watching it anyway. You can find out more about it on the website or follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

So I got to catch a screening of the show and honestly I probably had a little too much fun. I got a free popcorn which I ate all of before the show started and a tattoo from the ladies doing tables outside.  I also colored some activity sheets and I really wanted to get a blow up light saber but I didn’t want any kids to miss out on getting one.

To top that off, after we watched the screening, we got to sit down with Freddie Prinze, Jr. who is the voice of Kanan and Executive Producer Dave Filoni. I didn’t know that Freddie Prinze, Jr. was voicing one of the actors until a few days before I left on my trip and I have to admit I freaked out.  The inner 15 year old in me was totally in shock. It doesn’t help that Freddie Prinze, Jr is totally a Star Wars geek. And geek all around. He started schooling us on 80’s cartoon trivia during his first question.  He actually had no idea (no one did) when he auditioned that this was for Star Wars. He guessed really quick though by the script.

Freddie Prinze, Jr

I didn’t know it was Star Wars. It was  titled Wolf Pack. And you’ll have to speak to him about that. But, I went in and I saw some Character breakdowns on the wall at Disney and I looked at them and I’m thinking, these guys are either ripping off Star Wars real bad or this is a Star Wars. There was another girl in the Waiting Room and she was reading for Tia’s Character and she looked super nervous. And when she came out of the room, it was like this is definitely Star Wars. So I asked them and I think I said a word that I shouldn’t say, this first Table run. I said is this bleeping Star Wars? And then and then he kind of sits back, he sits back there, he sits back and he kind of like nods his head all cool and I was like All right, give me a second. I’ve got to turn around and compose myself and then get prepared. Instead of a Light Sabre, I had a Sun Sword, which Thunder the Barbarian had from Hanna Barbera.

The question I loved most from us to Dave Filoni is about creating strong female characters. I think his answer was spot on and makes me want to watch the show even more.

Dave Filoni

Yeah, I think that, I mean, it’s a strange word to use but like it’s just a necessity. Um, I think most Creatives you speak to right now would say that if they had a choice to tell a story, they would use a Female Lead. Um, I think some people feel that the stories have been told, uh, with the guys, you know. We did a Soka in Clone Wars…And uh, for all of the ways that I think that representation of Female Characters are a hot topic in the News, um, I ask her opinion on all these things because I like anybody else need a greater education when we’re creating these Characters. Um, you know, how to make them well rounded, how to get them better represented right down to the Costume, you know, and the way they look and the way they walk and you know, the, um, the way I got around it was Soka was, um, I just treated her like a Jedi. I didn’t think of her as a girl cause I’m a guy

Don’t freak out because I got to stand really close to them. I was totally professional. I may have done the open mouth fish look when they left though. I was already speechless after Freddie Prinze, Jr told us a story from his childhood. Dave Filoni said that Freddie had the swagger that a Jedi needed and Freddie said that it was a generational thing.

It felt like all the air was just sucked out of the room when @RealFPJr started talking about his love of #StarWars #StarWarsRebels

— Generations of Savin (@genofsavings) September 27, 2014

Freddie Prinze, Jr.
So I wasn’t that excited. I was like these guys are ripping this off. This isn’t even, you know what I mean, like it’s not that good. A Sun Sword? That’s not cool, you know. So you’re not hyped up and then it wasn’t until I read, I didn’t know if I — if I booked it. I know I did a good job. And so you know, you kind of dissociate cause you don’t want to be like Yes. And then like No, No. So you know, you wait, you wait, and then I heard that I got it. And it’s just this very surreal moment, you know. And I’m sure it was different for Vanessa, for Steve, certainly for Taylor, Arden. We’re generationally so — so far apart. For me, I mean, I slipped down the Slide when I was 4 years old with a broken Flagpole cause I was Luke and my Cousin was Darth Vader. I have to be specific, there are so many Darths now.

Back then it was only this. But uh, you know, the Pole hit the ground first and it stuck in my chin and my Mom ran out and my Chin blew out. And you know, she flipped and threw me in the car and took me to the Hospital and they stitched this little scar I have back here. I had 16 and it looked like I had a little Goatee and I was only 4. And so you know, those, all those images start racing back through your head and you’re reading dialogue, you know, telling a kid, come with me. Come learn the ways of the Forest, you know what I mean? From 4 years old to 38 years old, I mean, come on, it’s easy to know that I really care about this.

 

I can’t say anything else beyond that besides the fact that Dave Filoni picked a perfect person to play Kanan. You can see for yourself tonight at 9 pm EST on Disney and starting on 10/13 on Disney XD! I would love to hear your thoughts about the show when its over! You can follow the hashtag #StarWarsRebels to see what the other bloggers on my trip thought of our interview and what other people think of the show.