“The Mandalorian” made Bo-Katan a pivotal character and brought her into live-action, but it also “broke” something inside Sackhoff. She had to work with an acting coach to find herself after three years.
Katee Sackhoff is a veteran of genre TV from Battlestar Galactica. In the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Rebels, she voiced cultist turned mercenary/freedom fighter Bo-Katan Kryze. She later played the character again in the live-action series The Mandalorian. Although she has had multiple opportunities to portray Bo since then, the performer admits that returning to the role has not been easy.
Sackhoff revealed to her Battlestar co-star Tahmoh Penikett in the most recent edition of her podcast how she lost “all of my confidence” following the filming of The Mandalorian. She clarified, “I’ve always played two steps away from myself, [and] it always felt grounded in some part of my belly, of who I was.” Her typical approach to acting has been to follow her “first instinct, play the reality of the situation,” but with Bo-Katan, she didn’t do that.
Watch the Katee Sackhoff interview below starting where she discusses getting an acting coach (35:28):
She became aware that Bo is “nowhere near who I am as a human being” after portraying the role in live-action. “As much as I stood her, I never identified with her, and I didn’t know how to find her,” she added.
Sackhoff continued by saying that Bo-Katan “broke” her enough to prevent her from performing any more for the next three years. She attributes her turnaround to a new management and an acting coach, the former of whom confirmed her talent and stated that she only “needs to get you back in your belly.” They also said she needed to “regain” her confidence. Sackhoff has voiced the animated Watchmen duology for Warner Bros. as of this year.
She claimed that she argued with her previous manager when he told her, “This is easy for you,” and “stop trying so hard.” Sackhoff claimed that to gain confidence, she hired an acting coach and found a new manager.
“You know what I would do differently?” Sackoff added about the Mando role. “I think I was so scared that I was going to f–k up that as soon as I delivered the take I wanted to deliver, that’s what I gave them. Up until that point in my career, I’d give four different takes and think they’d find it in post. I would change it and do something different every time, and had fun with it. I tried so desperately to be so controlled.” Even knowing all this, she’s unsure if she would have changed her performance.
Regarding Star Wars, it’s uncertain if she’ll be featured in the second season of Ahsoka. It’s also unknown if Sackhoff’s character will appear in the next Mandalorian project, The Mandalorian & Grogu, which is scheduled for release on May 22, 2026.
She’s appeared in this year’s Fight or Flight. The adaptation of Stephen King’s horror classic Carrie is being turned into an eight-episode Amazon Prime limited series. Frequent King adapter Mike Flanagan will have Sackhoff in a recurring role. In the video, Sackhoff also mentioned that she feels easier working with him “because I trust Mike … he’s amazing.
[via Variety]
