Rosario Dawson Had No Idea Mark Hamill Was Returning as Luke Skywalker in The Mandalorian Until He Walked On Set - Star Wars Celebration

The surprise appearance of Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker in *The Mandalorian* stands as one of the most memorable moments in *Star Wars* history. Rosario Dawson, who joined the franchise, shared with us at *Star Wars Celebration* an incredible tale of how she was kept in the dark about Hamill's cameo until he unexpectedly showed up on the set of *The Book of Boba Fett*.

To maintain the secrecy of this massive reveal, showrunners Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau cleverly used Jedi Master Plo Koon as a decoy in the scripts. This tactic was employed not just for Dawson but across the board to prevent leaks. Dawson recounted her confusion upon reading about Plo Koon's supposed return in the script, a character fans know perished in *Revenge of the Sith*.

"I was like... I don't know... but people disappear and then they come back, so maybe it's possible?" Dawson remarked, reflecting her initial bewilderment. The surprise escalated when Mark Hamill himself appeared on set, humorously dismissing the Plo Koon ruse with, "Plo Koon? That wouldn't even make sense!" Dawson responded, "I know it didn't make sense, but I still had to think it made sense because I got the script and everything!"

Filoni and Favreau expressed their regret for not informing Dawson sooner, with Filoni noting, "That was bad on us!" and adding with a laugh, "We assumed you'd gotten told the right information. We were in it so much." Favreau elaborated on the dual secrets they meticulously guarded: Grogu's reveal at the end of the first episode and Luke Skywalker's appearance at the end of season two. Despite other leaks, these secrets remained intact, though they admitted failing to loop in Dawson.

Dawson took the oversight in stride, jokingly saying, "I love it, they know I can't be trusted." This light-hearted exchange underscores the lengths to which the *Star Wars* team went to preserve the element of surprise for fans and cast alike.

Concept art of Plo Koon made to throw off leaks. Image Credit: Disney & Lucasfilm