Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. recently appeared on Kristian Harloff’s YouTube channel. The topic of his Star Wars character, Kanan Jarrus/Caleb Dume, came up, and the actor denied any interest in reprising the role. Check out the video here:
https://youtube.com/shorts/Om9NfC3MstQ?feature=share
Here’s what Prinze Jr. said about his cameo in The Bad Batch:
“I was asked to, yeah. I didn’t necessarily want to. I feel like every time you hear Kanan’s voice since Rebels ended, it really kind of dilutes his impact.”
And his line to Rey in The Rise of Skywalker:
“Yeah, I didn’t want to do that either. I was asked as a favor and I feel like all my — all their favors are used up now.”
He also goes on to specifically deny any involvement in Ahsoka.
I agree with him that Kanan’s story is told. Showing him all the time cheapens his sacrifice, and this may be Prinze’s way of making sure they don’t try to resurrect him somehow. Some characters must stay dead. In Rebels, Ezra had a chance to save Kanan, but he didn’t because there’s a specific, in-story reason his sacrifice must be preserved. All of the Jedi voices at the end of Rise of Skywalker were stupid anyway, as was the whole movie. I’m okay with his Bad Batch single-episode role, although honestly, his voice sounded too old for the young Padawan anyway. This is being framed as a rejection of Star Wars or his previous role by some, but that’s not what I see. I sense immense care and respect for his character and an attempt to preserve the character’s legacy and choices. Kanan is a lot of people’s favorite Rebels character, and it would be a mistake to mess up his arc retroactively.
But what do you think about Freddie Prinze Jr.’s comments? Let us know in the comments below!