‘It Just Broke Me’: Katee Sackhoff Explains Why She Lost ‘All’ Of Her Confidence After Working On The Mandalorian

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Prior to 2020, Katee Sackhoff had already established a strong acting career through shows like Battlestar Galactica, Longmire, Riddick, 24, and numerous other projects. However, it was her role in The Mandalorian that significantly increased her fame. After voicing Bo-Katan Kryze in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels, Sackhoff brought this character to life in live-action on the Disney+ exclusive show during its second season, and later returned for Season 3. Amidst all this success, something caused Sackhoff to lose complete confidence in her acting skills and question her talent.

During a conversation on The Sackhoff Show with her Battlestar Galactica colleague Tahmoh Penikett, the actress opened up about a challenging phase in her life. They also reminisced on a past mistake – ignoring Edward James Olmos’ guidance when they were younger. Interestingly, Sackhoff admitted that she only recently discovered a helpful method in her acting career, which is over 30 years old, by hiring an acting coach. When Penikett enquired about it, she explained:

After appearing on The Mandalorian, I found myself struggling with confidence in my acting approach. My method has always been to trust my initial instincts and portray the reality of the situation. In essence, I’ve never truly embodied a character but rather played roles that felt somewhat connected to my own identity. However, Bo-Katan, the character I played, is vastly different from who I am as a person. I struggled to comprehend her motivations and desires. Although I could grasp some aspects of her, I didn’t feel an emotional connection to her. I found it challenging to fully embody her and identify with her on a deeper level.

Playing Bo-Katan on screen was a significant shift for Katee Sackhoff, as the spotlight on her intensified compared to voicing characters across multiple episodes of two animated TV shows and the anthology series Star Wars: Tales of the Empire. Although it seemed like she nailed the character’s portrayal, Sackhoff struggled internally because she didn’t establish a strong emotional bond with Bo-Katan, which caused her to question herself. Sackhoff further explained:

As a film enthusiast, I’ve got to admit, it shattered me. It left me questioning everything about myself-my abilities, my worth. You see, I’m not the strongest when it comes to on-camera auditions, and here I was, putting my heart out on tape, but nothing was materializing. For three long years, work seemed elusive… I crumbled under the weight of rejection. One day, I found myself shedding tears at Michael Trucco’s kitchen counter. He tried to reassure me, saying, “You’ll be fine. You always work.” But I was beyond help. “I’m not okay, man,” I admitted, “I’m not working. I feel broken. My confidence is depleted. I’ve lost my bearings.

Michael Trucco is yet another close associate of Katee Sackhoff from the “Battlestar Galactica” series, and their bond has continued since the show concluded in 2009. This closeness is demonstrated by her willingness to open up to him about her acting challenges. Later, she confided in Tahmoh Penikett that she was struggling at this time because she lacked a reliable technique to rely on, which eventually resulted in a disagreement with her former manager.

The most challenging aspect was that my previous manager often commented in a manner like this: “This is effortless for you. You barely need to try. Just stop putting in effort. You’re overdoing it.” He would also say, “You’re just naturally good at this. Just back off.” One day, I reached my breaking point and loudly expressed my frustration. I said something like, “Please stop saying that to me. Your constant comments about it being easy for me are crushing me because it’s not effortless. In fact, it’s far from easy. And now I’m struggling because of it, but you keep telling me it’s effortless. It feels so dismissive.

After hiring a new manager, Katee Sackhoff expressed her concerns to him and he arranged for an acting coach. The coach explained that his role wasn’t to teach Sackhoff how to act as she already had that down, but rather to help her rediscover her “form” or confidence. It seems this approach was successful, as Sackhoff now appears more self-assured, which is why she felt comfortable discussing this topic when Tahmoh Penikett was a guest on her podcast.

It’s uncertain when Katee Sackhoff will reprise her role as Bo-Katan Kryze again, despite the release of “The Mandalorian & Grogu” on May 22, 2026. While there has been no official announcement about her involvement in the cast, given the popularity of both Sackhoff and the character, it’s likely that she will reappear in the Star Wars universe at some point, although not necessarily within Din Djarin’s storyline.

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2025-08-20 09:08