Katee Sackhoff, who many know as Bo-Katan Kryze in The Mandalorian, recently shared how hard it was for her to step into the role — and how it nearly pushed her out of acting for three years.
On her podcast The Sackhoff Show, while talking with her Battlestar Galactica co-star Tahmoh Penikett, she admitted that playing Bo-Katan left her feeling lost.
“I lost all of my confidence after Mandalorian, all of it,” she said. “Bo-Katan is nowhere near who I am as a human being. Her life, what she wants — I didn’t understand her. As much as I understood her, I never felt her in my stomach. I never identified with her. I didn’t know how to find her.”
Sackhoff first gave voice to Bo-Katan in The Clone Wars before bringing her to live action in Season 2 of The Mandalorian. By Season 3, her role had expanded alongside Pedro Pascal’s Din Djarin. But behind the scenes, she was struggling.
“It broke me. It just broke me,” Sackhoff admitted. “I started doubting everything about myself. I’m not a strong auditioner on tape, and I was having to put myself on tape. I wasn’t booking anything. And for three years, I basically didn’t work, and it just destroyed my confidence.”
She eventually found a new manager and an acting coach who helped her rebuild. “You just need to find your confidence again,” her coach told her. Since then, she’s landed spots on Law & Order, some voice roles, and a part in the upcoming Prime Video series Carrie.
A Mixed Response
While some criticized her performance, others defended her. One fan summed it up simply:
“She felt like as if Bo-Katan stepped out from the Clone Wars show, she was amazing.”
Another added:
“She’s a veteran sci-fi star actress and did a good job with the role.”
And many fans praised her other work, pointing to shows like Longmire and Battlestar Galactica.
What’s Next for Sackhoff?
Disney is moving The Mandalorian to the big screen with The Mandalorian and Grogu next year, though Sackhoff hasn’t been announced as part of the cast yet. Whether or not she returns, fans clearly want to see more of her. As one commenter put it:
“She needs her own show or a movie.”