The question of "Where's Ezra?" is one that has circulated among Star Wars fans since the finale of Star Wars: Rebels, which saw street kid-turned-Jedi Ezra Bridger disappear into the unknown in order to save his friends. The same question was picked up yet again when it became clear that upcoming series Ahsoka would be revisiting characters from Rebels, including Hera Syndulla and Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo). The most popular choice of actor to take on the role was the effortlessly charming star of Disney's Aladdin, Mena Massoud. It came as a surprise then, when the casting of Ezra Bridger was announced, and it was instead upcoming actor Eman Esfandi taking the role.
The news is exciting, as Esfandi not only looks the part, but also seems to possess the same effortless charm as Massoud — necessary for anyone stepping into Ezra Bridger's boots. But although Esfandi ultimately got the part, according to comments made by Massoud on Twitter, he was interested in joining the galaxy far, far away. Of course, he harbors no ill feeling, saying in his tweet:
Glad the rumors will stop now. Never really had a fair shot at it unfortunately (1 self-tape months ago) but just wasn’t meant for me I guess. Can’t deny the dude looks exactly like Ezra. Hope it’s done justice!
It's the nature of an actor's job to audition for roles, and not necessarily every one of them will pan out. But it's understandably frustrating to be consistently reminded of a job you wanted and be unable to comment on it due to the nature of secrecy that surrounds large projects like this one. In any case, now that the news is out, I personally look forward to supporting both men in all their forthcoming projects.