Ray Stevenson Describes Upcoming ‘Star Wars’ Role in One of His Final Interviews Before His Death

Ray Stevenson’s publicist confirmed his death at age 58 with PEOPLE on Monday

Ray Stevenson, who died at age 58 on Sunday, will appear posthumously in the upcoming Star Wars Disney+ series Ashoka. In one of his final interviews before his death, the actor described his character as “stoically lethal.”

The late actor appeared at the Star Wars Celebration convention in April, where he offered some insight into his character Baylan Skroll while speaking with Yahoo! Entertainment.

“Nothing scary about Baylan,” Stevenson said of the role. The character appears to be set up as something of an antagonist for Ashoka star Rosario Dawson as she reprises her role as Ashoka Tano from The Mandalorian in the series.

“I think the exciting thing is to see and feel where this journey goes and how it’s impacting his journey,” he told the outlet. “Basically, if you’re in his way, he’ll politely request you get out of it, and if you don’t, you’ll be removed.”

“But there’s no malevolence there,” Stevenson added of Baylan, who is seen wielding a red lightsaber and dueling with Ashoka in the series’ teaser trailer. “There’s no, like, you want to slaughter the world. There’s something other driving him…. He’s not quite good. But he’s not great.”
Prior to filming a live-action Star Wars role, Stevenson had made his way into the franchise with past voice appearances as a character named Gar Saxon in the Rebels and Clone Wars animated television series. At the Star Wars Celebration convention, the actor told The Hollywood Reporter that “getting to wield the light saber is just the best feeling in the world” while speaking of his role in Ashoka.
“The first time they handed it to me for the camera test, I couldn’t help myself, I made the noise,” he told the outlet at the time.
Stevenson’s publicist confirmed his death with PEOPLE on Monday, though no further information concerning his cause of death was available at the time.

The actor died three days prior to his 59th birthday. Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported Monday that Stevenson was hospitalized following an illness while he filmed an upcoming movie titled Cassino on Ischia on the island of Ischia prior to his death.
Aside from his Ashoka role and Cassino in Ischia, Stevenson’s upcoming movie Gateway to the West had entered post-production at the time of his death, according to his IMDb profile.

In the year prior to Stevenson’s death, the actor starred as the antagonist Governor Buxton in the crossover 2022 Bollywood hit RRR, as well as in the films Memory and Accident Man: Hitman’s Holiday.
Ashoka begins streaming on Disney+ in August.