I had the pleasure of being able to interview my idol, Ashley Eckstein! She’s the sweetest person you will ever meet! If you are unsure who she is, she is the voice of Ahsoka Tano on Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels. She also has a clothing line, called Her Universe, which is “geek” inspired clothes from Star Wars to Dr. Who, tailored to woman and young grls.
I of course had to start by asking her about Star Wars Weekends! Can you believe that it’s her 7th year here? That’s true dedication! She had also said that she looks forward to meeting the fans. She said “Everyone feels like family especially the fans, like yourself, getting to see everyone grow up year after year, it feels like an extended family.” She gets to see the actual Star Wars actors and actresses at Star Wars Weekends because she only gets to see them at events. Ashley has actually grown up as a Florida girl. Her first job was at, what was then called, MGM Studios and she has been coming since the day it opened. She gets to come back each year and relive her past memories!
Since Ahsoka was in Star Wars Rebels, I had to ask her about her experiences with Rebels! She said “It was so exciting to be on Star Wars Rebels!” She had found out she was going to be on it right before Stars Wars Weekends last year so she had to keep it a secret. She didn’t want to lie to the fans so she told them “It’s too soon to tell. You know, they’re still writing Rebels so you never know.” That was probably the hardest secret to keep! I would probably accidentally tell someone! She also told me what it was like working with the Rebels cast. She had said that it “was a blast” and that they became a family.
One of my favorite things about Ashley is how she has a “Fangirl of the Day.” Basically, all that is, is you get nominated by someone explaining your “Fangirl interests.” My sister and I were chosen as Fangirls earlier this year. I had asked Ashley what her inspiration was behind starting it. She told me: “Too many girls were being bullied for liking Star Wars. There was Katy who brought her Star Wars water bottle to school and there were several others and I thought, you know what? You can help combat bullying by just having a friend so you don’t feel so alone. And so many girls are the only ones in their classes that like Star Wars they don’t have a friend. But at least we can create an online community that’s safe and positive and welcoming.” That was her main goal: to help stop bullying. I love that so much and that’s the main reason why she is my idol. She wants to help end bullying. I used to not wear my Star Wars attire to school as much as I do now because I’m such a Star Wars nerd and it was middle school. But now I wear my Star Wars clothes all the time because I know I’m not the only one.
One final thing I asked her is if she is excited for the new movies. She told me that she is and how she is interested in all the new characters and their stories. She told us that Her Universe will have new clothes for the new movie! How exciting is that?! She said “Her Universe is designing new merchandise for episode 7.” She only has concept art to design her new clothes. I’m super excited to see her new clothes!
I just wanted to say thank you to Ashley Eckstein for allowing me to interview you! It was a super great experience and I had a blast! I look forward to seeing what’s in store for Ahsoka Tano on Rebels and what new merchandise is to come from Her Universe.
*This is the last article for the Teen Perspective Series for now. Gabby has decided to focus on her schooling and such, and we thank her for all of her work she’s done in the last year with writing for TMSM. Great job Gabby! We wish her nothing but the best!
About TMSM’s Teen Perspective Writer Gabby Adani:
”Hi Mainstreeters! I’m Gabby and I’m going to be writing about Disney from a teen’s perspective. But first let me tell you a little bit about myself. I’m 14 years old and have had Disney Annual Passes my whole life. Disney is literally my second home. I’m an honors student and enjoy school. My favorite sport is volleyball. I play for both my middle school team and the YMCA. I am also a huge fan of Star Wars.”
Michele also contributes theme park news for Fox 35 Orlando 11pm news and on the radio on WDBO.
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