Ahsoka Tano actress Rosario Dawson recently defended Dave Filoni's decision to recast the character of Baylan Skoll following Ray Stevenson's tragic death. Rory McCann, who is best known for portraying Sandor Clegane (the Hound) in Game of Thrones, will be picking up the mantle of Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka Season 2. Baylan actor Ray Stevenson passes away just before the first season of the show premiered, and it was unclear whether Baylan's story would continue on-screen or not. However, Lucasfilm decided that McCann could take over for Stevenson.
Rosario Dawson recently appeared at Comic-Con Scotland 2025 where she talked about the upcoming second season of Ahsoka. Throughout her comments, Dawson talked about the legacy Stevenson left behind, as well as how he is still impacting the series. However, she also made sure to defend Rory McCann and his portrayal of Baylan, comparing him to Stevenson.
As shared by Monopoly Events via YouTube, at the Ahsoka panel, Dawson specifically had a lot of beautiful things to say about Stevenson. For instance, she talked about his "gentleness," as well as his "spirituality," and how he "was so dialed into his feminine self" despite also being a "hyper, full representation of masculinity:"
"Ray was a warrior and such a hyper, full representation of masculinity. Just really beautiful, strong, present, grounding, protective masculinity and was so dialed into his feminine self. It was so interesting 'cause he was so big, and so strong, and so imposing in that way, and so incredibly balanced with his gentleness, and his spirituality, and his love, and I think poetry in motion is such a perfect way [to describe] him."
The lead actress also talked about Stevenson's "interpretation of Baylan," and how it "provoked and huided a lot of where [Dave Filoni] saw the story of Baylan going:"
"His interpretation of Baylan.... He's the reason why he had these crystals that were put in and had this kind of whole other energy. And Dave talks about just the deep conversations that they had, and how that provoked and guided a lot of where he saw the story of Baylan going."
According to Dawson, Filoni had an understandably difficult time deciding whether he should recast Baylan Skoll or not. Ultimately, it seems as though Filoni did not want "that story he'd already started sharing with Ray" to end, which eventually led to McCann taking over the role:
"And I could see, because of the richness of that dialogue that they continued to have, and what he'd already wanted for that character, but how he then started imagining it could be working with Ray, I could see why he didn't want to end it, and that to perpetuate it and allow that story that he'd already started sharing with Ray to continue."
The Ahsoka star admitted that she had "tension in [her] chest" when she found out that another actor would be playing Baylan in Season 2, but that she was extremely thankful when she got the news that it would be McCann:
And I remember that was a very hard choice for him to think about recasting. And I was like, 'I get it.' And I remember having this like tension in my chest, because there's some literal and figurative, spiritual big shoes to fill. And the second he said it was going to be Rory [McCann], I was like, 'Oh, thank God.'"
Just as she spoke highly about Stevenson, Dawson also had a lot to say about McCann's personality and character, and how she "love[s] that man:"
"'Cause I worked with Rory 20 years ago on 'Alexander.' I love that man. Same same kind of energy. He can be... you know him as The Hound. He can be big, and imposing, and scary and he is just the gentlest, sweetest, kindest man and he just gets it."
Dawson also gave fans a lot of hope for McCann's portrayal of Baylan, as she confirmed that McCann is extremely similar to the way Stevenson was in terms of how he carries himself. McCann and Stevenson were already good friends, but Dawson feels as though they "would have been besties."
Notably, she also mentioned that McCann built a "remarkable" relationship with Shin Hati actress Ivanna Sakhno, which also made Dawson feel "grateful" that McCann was the one to take over the role of Baylan:
"You can't just hire someone else to try to match the tone and look of Ray. Like that doesn't work. You need it in essence. And like like Rory's brother lives in Ibiza which is where he lived. It's absolutely actually insane. like Rory and Ray would have been besties. Like it's kind of remarkable the relationship he ended up building with Ivanna [Sakhno] and just... I'm so grateful."
Hearing the Ahsoka lead actress talk about Stevenson is extremely touching, so it was even more heartwarming to hear her mention that "Ray just really blessed" the entire show, even Season 2. According to Dawson, she could "absolutely feel his presence" with them on the set:
"I feel like Ray just really blessed the whole thing and understood like it was such a big deal for his sons to see him as a Jedi, and he really represented that, and he continues to represent that really beautifully, and I'm so glad that he's still with us, because I absolutely feel his presence. I know he blessed us on set, for sure."
Ahsoka Season 2 is set to premiere on Disney+ in 2026.
What Will Baylan Skoll's Season 2 Storyline Be About?
Dave Filoni and co. have kept a lot of the plot details for Ahsoka Season 2 under wraps. Filming for Season 2 is finished, but a trailer for the upcoming installment has not yet been released, so no one really knows what direction the story will go.
However, many fans will remember that, at the end of Season 1, Baylan went off on his own to seek out something that was calling him through the Force. He mentioned in one of the episodes that it was something of great power, which didn't reveal much at the time. The final shot of Baylan in Season 1, though, featured him standing on a statue of the Father, who is one of the Mortis gods.
Beside the statue of the father sat a statue of the son, and on the other side, a headless statue of the Daughter. That directly indicated that the Mortis gods would somehow be brought in to Season 2, and other teases since then have added fuel to that theory.
Another popular theory is that Baylan was being called by Abeloth, who is an extremely powerful and dark character from Star Wars Legends. However, she is related to the Mortis gods in Legends, so her inclusion would not be far-fetched. Many fans have wanted to see her make her way into canon for some time anyway, and Ahsoka is probably the best project for her to appear in.
