Ming-Na Wen Discusses Voicing Fennec Shand in Star Wars Animation

by

If a show needs a character who’s immediately impressive and tough, Ming-Na Wen is a great choice. That’s why the producers of The Mandalorian cast her as the bounty hunter Fennec Shand in the Star Wars universe. She later continued playing the role in more episodes of The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

That’s when things got tricky for her. At Emerald City Comic Con this weekend, someone asked her about providing the voice for a character she’d previously played on screen – something she hadn’t experienced before.

Wen said he’d never performed a character that was both animated and voiced by him before. When Dave Filoni asked him to do it, Filoni explained the character existed almost 20 years prior to the current story.

As a big fan, I was really hoping The Bad Batch would give us some backstory on Fennec Shand, maybe show us how she became a bounty hunter. But it didn’t quite happen that way! I remember talking to one of the creators, and he showed me some early character designs. I was immediately struck by her outfit – she’s wearing the same thing in those drawings! I even joked with him, asking if she was broke, like that was the only outfit she owned!

Voicing Fennec Shand In Star Wars Animation Threw Ming-Na Wen, but Only Briefly

Wen was initially surprised by the direction, but she quickly rediscovered the character. She realized, “Maybe she’s a genius, like Einstein.” Focusing on the character’s youth, Wen explored how she became a skilled mercenary and deadly assassin, and how she learned to survive on her own. She then used those ideas to build the performance, especially with the compelling backstory the writers provided.

Drawing on her own experiences as an actress in Hollywood, she explained that succeeding as an Asian woman in the industry is challenging. It requires immense self-belief, resilience, and the ability to navigate complex situations and develop essential skills. She emphasized that acting is a demanding profession, and you truly have to be passionate about it and constantly improve your craft to thrive.

Will Fennec Shand return in Star Wars?

It took some getting used to seeing Fennec Shand as an animated character. However, now that she’s become Boba Fett’s closest ally, her role in the Star Wars story could be closely linked to his from now on.

Temuera Morrison, the actor who plays Boba Fett in Star Wars, recently revealed that Lucasfilm told him his character was being sidelined. They essentially said he wouldn’t be needed for future seasons, despite his hopes for The Book of Boba Fett to continue for several years. Morrison admitted this was disappointing, especially after enjoying working on the show with Ming-Na Wen and believing he’d be part of a long-term project. He was still grateful for the opportunity to reprise the role after so long.

Star Wars: The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, and The Book of Boba Fett are streaming on Disney+.

Read More

2026-03-10 02:13