As I continued to perform, you could definitely say that I was bit by the acting bug. I knew that I wanted to be an actress but I never lost my love or desire to design clothes. I often designed my own homecoming or prom dress while in high school or everyday outfits when I needed something new to wear. I always yearned for the opportunity to one day be able to do both, act and design professionally. – Her Universe Website



Many years ago when we started this whole little geeky website idea, the desire to meet interesting people and find out what made them tick was the biggest drive we had. We had been to so many places all over the country, and it was really interesting to interact with like-minded people who enjoyed the same nerdy hobbies that we had been enjoying for years. New York Comic Con presents a really interesting situation, because we get to see really cool stuff, interview people who we find absolutely fascinating, and then we get to come back and let all of our readers know about it. So when an e-mail came into our inbox asking if we wanted to interview Ashley Eckstein while we were at NYCC, we of course said yes.

It is a matter of pride that g33kWatch has never devalued the female geek population. That would be rather tough, as approximately 50% of our active team is female, but we’re observant enough to realize that this is not the case everywhere, and respect for female g33ks has been an evolving process. It’s that process that Ashley Eckstein fuels, from her active presence as a Clone Wars voice actor, to her example of crossing genres to make geek culture more available and accessible to females. After landing the role of the voice of Ahsoka Tano in Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Ashley founded Her Universe, a product line center around Star Wars and SyFy-based designs. We had the pleasure of talking to Ashley at New York Comic Con, at the Her Universe booth in a place of honor on the LucasFilm Pavilion.

Ashley is supremely nice and very thoughtful. Those qualities jump straight at you the moment that you start talking with her. The more you speak with her though, you begin to appreciate that she has been a geek for a very long time and is passionate about her place in the community. Anyone could be the voice of a Star Wars character, but Ashley is really interested in seeing how her character fits in the grand scheme of Star Wars legacy. She’s also very conscious of the fans and their concerns with the show and her character of Ahsoka. Ashley grew up on Star Wars, so it’s not just another acting role for her, she definitely cares very much about how the series is received. While it was a little rough at the beginning, fans of the show started to get a deeper understanding of Ahsoka and Ashley herself. Ashley will be the first one to tell you that she was excited when people started to tell her how much they liked Ahsoka and started to cosplay as her.

It’s exciting for us to meet someone this closely tied to one of our favorite science-fiction narratives ever, but it’s also great to see that Ashley has worked so hard to reach out to the geek community and its female contingent specifically. Ashley wants to remind people that it’s ok to be into things like sci-fi, video games, and whatever else you want to be into. It’s a really great message that she’s spreading, and we’re glad to have met up with her! Oh yeah, and she’s a Luke Skywalker fan so that was awesome as well. =)

So sit back and listen to our little audio interview with Ashley talking with our own Alison & Joey V and see what you think. If you like what she has to say, we really suggest you start watching the Clone Wars series on Cartoon Network, and maybe check out her store over at Her Universe.

g33k of the w33k

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Ashley Eckstein

Ashley’s Official Website | Her Universe Website | Clone Wars on Cartoon Network | Ashley’s Facebook Page

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