Actor Eman Esfandi portrayed the iconic Ezra Bridger character in the Disney+ space fantasy Ahsoka. His resemblance and character portrayal received special praise from critics and audiences. For many, he was one of the perfect castings in Ahsoka.
Although Eman Esfandi has had an acting career of about 7 years, the Disney+ Ahsoka has been the biggest project of his career. While he’s yet to land a lead role in a major acting project, Esfandi has so far played several remarkable supporting characters. For fans and admirers, here’s more on the Ezra Bridger actor, Eman Esfandi.
Eman Esfandi Is From Texas
Eman Esfandi was born in Laredo, Texas, on September 27, 1994. His mother is Ecuadorian, and his father is Iranian. Esfandi was raised in the small southern Texan city known for its large Hispanic-American population. This is because Laredo shares its border with Mexico. As a half-Iranian growing up in a population filled with Hispanic Americans and Texan Caucasians, Esfandi noted he had a pretty tough childhood.
Eman Esfandi was two weeks shy of his seventh birthday when the 9/11 attacks occurred. As such, he was forced to grow up with the repercussions of the attack. In a 2022 interview with FLAUNT, Esfandi noted, “When I was younger, it wasn’t as noticeable, but by the time I was in high school, I could better see the micro-aggressions that my being half-Persian, or my father being from Iran, would incite.”
Eman Esfandi Studied Economics
While there’s no doubt Eman Esfandi is a fine actor; he didn’t consider it a career until much later in life. After graduating from high school in Laredo, Esfandi attended Laredo College, obtaining an associate’s degree in business administration. He later studied Economics at the University of Texas at Austin, where he got his bachelor’s degree.
He Grew An Interest In Acting After Attending An Acting Workshop
While still at the University of Texas, one of Eman Esfandi’s friends encouraged him to attend one of Brad and Kim Burton’s (renowned casting directors) acting workshops. Esfandi, who has always loved being creative, decided to act on the recommendation. The Burtons were so impressed by his performance that they inquired why he never sent in an audition or thought about having an acting career. While he knew he had the creativity and talent for acting, Esfandi never truly considered it as something to settle for professionally.
Eman Esfandi left the workshop with a new passion to try out acting. When he saw a casting call for a thesis film by University of Texas MFA graduate Erica Robert Pallo, he decided to audition. Esfandi wasn’t entirely surprised he landed the role and sought to give it his best efforts. However, the experience of shooting the short film got him hooked on acting. With filming taking place at underground caverns in Marble Falls, Texas, cast and crew members had to stay in a cabin by a lake. For Eman Esfandi, this was the experience/life he truly wanted. Working in corporate America was something he was influenced to aspire to do.
Eman Esfandi Made His Directorial Debut In 2018
Although his acting career was still in its infancy, Eman Esfandi jumped at the opportunity to direct his first screen project with little to no experience. While he’s yet to make his feature directorial debut, he made his directorial debut with a short film in 2018. A friend asked to help with a short film script and later offered Esfandi an opportunity to direct the film. Three months before filming began, Eman Esfandi spent those pre-production months consuming every important piece of content on YouTube about making a movie. Pepito was released in 2018 and was later licensed to HBO from 2020 to 2022.
Eman Esfandi’s Other Acting Projects
After starring in several short films, Eman Esfandi had his feature film debut in 2018. He was cast in a minor role as a funny guy in the science fiction horror Red 11. He also played Apollo in the 2018 film Phadera and Sam in Austin Weird (2019). His career saw an upturn in the 2020s with more notable projects. In 2021, Esfandi was cast as Barry in the Academy Award-nominated movie King Richard. The next year, he was cast as Ismail, a Muslim-American who joined the Marines in 2005 after 9/11, in The Inspection (2022). Two years later, he made his television debut as Ezra Bridger in Ahsoka.
Eman Esfandi Is Also A Rapper
As an all-round entertainer, Eman Esfandi is also growing his career as a rapper. Known professionally as DragonWulf, Esfandi considers music another creative way to express himself. Thanks to the success and popularity of his character in Ahsoka, DragonWulf has received love and support from Esfandi’s new and growing fanbase. As Eman Esfandi continues to rise in Hollywood, here’s more on Canadian Trailer Park Boys actor Robb Wells.
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