‘There’s no way I want to be turned blue’: ‘Ahsoka’ would’ve been very different if Disney convinced a Marvel superstar worth $45m to play Thrawn

Now that Ahsoka is in full swing, it's fun to look back at Lars Mikkelsen's casting of Admiral Thrawn and wonder "What if...?"

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Mikkelsen has achieved the rare feat of playing the same character in animation, on Star Wars: Rebels, and live action.

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However, the villain who originated in Star Wars literature had long been fan-cast with Benedict Cumberbatch in mind for live action.

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Cumberbatch has actually addressed this, saying of a hypothetical Thrawn role, "There's no way I want to be turned blue."

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Cumberbatch explained in a Collider interview that he has "precious time with [his] children" and that the amount of time spent in the makeup chair each day could detract from that.

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Ironically, Mikkelsen is made to appear blue in Ahsoka using CGI instead of makeup.

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