Mercedes Varnado is perhaps better known by her WWE stage name, Sasha Banks. Now, though, there’s another pseudonym she’ll have to work with: Koska Reeves. One of Bo-Katan’s creed revealed in The Mandalorian season 2, episode 3 “Chapter 11: The Heiress”, Varnardo’s Star Wars character was an immediate fan lightning rod thanks to both the actor’s star power and connections to wider lore.

Screen Rant sat down with Varnardo to chat about how she got involved in a galaxy far, far away, how Star Wars TV master Dave Filoni helped her define Reeves, and what she thought of the heavy fan specualtion.

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I want to go right back to the start, because anything Star Wars is so secretive. When were you first cast in the show?

I feel like I should keep that a secret, don’t you think? No, it’s because my memory is so shot. I’m a professional wrestler; I work for the WWE. But I remember getting an Instagram DM from a testing director, maybe around the end of the summer – or it could have been in September, I honestly cannot remember. Instantly, I said, “Okay, let me ask WWE,” but my manager said, “No, don’t even ask them. Let’s just talk to them.” Jon Favreau called me; he Facetimed me and told me that he wanted me to be part of the show. And I was just like, “Oh my God, yes.” And then everything just happened. It was so fast, and it was so crazy.

Had you seen any of Clone Wars or Rebels, or any of the animated stuff that involved Mandalorians or Bo-Katan before coming on?

Sasha Banks: I never got to see any of the animation before going on. I knew nothing about it. I work pretty much six days a week, I travel on the road, and I have no time to watch television. But now, since the pandemic, I’m able to start and catch up -and it’s so incredible. I’ve definitely learned so much, but before I didn’t get to have any time.

You’re playing a new character. Were you given any backstory to this character, or did you get to define any of the character’s history yourself? What information were you working with?

I was working with the best. I was working with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni, and if I had any question of who my character was, and what was her background or anything, they had everything. I’m like, “Wow, okay. Thank you!”

And I also got to work with Katee Sackhoff, who played Bo-Katan. My gosh, watching her on set was so inspiring, because she knew her character to a T from doing the voice that she even went to Jon Favreau with some of her stuff, and it’s like, “You know, I think Bo-Katan would stand this way. And I think she would actually sit like this.” Actually, I think she wouldn’t even say like that, but they were so cool and incredible about it. Because they’re like, “Of course, you know your character.”

I was just so thankful for everything. Any question I had, they were right there.

Koska Reeves is really cool character name, very Star Wars. Where did that come from, and did you learn any history about the name?

That came from Dave Filoni. There wasn’t too much history about it. He just told me I was Koska Reeves, and I’m in this Mandalorian badass crew. And to just bring my own essence and character from the ring, and a little bit of myself to it. Because it’s such a new character, I could pretty much bring my own twist to it.

What would you say is the biggest thing you brought from the ring to the world of Star Wars?

The trailer and the first scene, of course. But when I really come in, I do the spinning dropkick. I really told them I wanted to do a lot of my wrestling moves, so my fans from the WWE would instantly know who I was underneath that helmet. And they were also excited about it.

I came in with a dropkick, I give someone a fireman’s carry, I give someone a back elbow, and I dive in – like only a WWE professional wrestler can do – and I save The Child, Baby Yoda. So, I brought all of that. I got a lot of glitter on the set too, because I came straight off work, off red eyes and straight on set. I had to transform from Sasha Banks to Mercedes Varnado to Koska Reeves all in an instance.

I’m glad you mentioned the shot from the trailer, because that was such a big point. You were one of the first new characters we saw for season two, and one of the big theories was that you were playing Sabine from Rebels. Did you see that speculation, and what did you make of it?

I went into work the next day, because I did not want to read any of the internet. Sometimes it can get really overwhelming, and I was so incredibly nervous to be in this whole universe and fan base. The next day, it made me feel so special, and so incredibly cool and thankful, to be part of Star Wars and The Mandalorian. Because everyone freaked out and they were like, “You’re a Jedi! You’re a Jedi!” And then I came home, and my husband was telling me all these different theories.

Honestly, I had no clue what to even think of it, because I was still in my own little realm. Like, I still cannot believe I’m part of Star Wars.

And what did you make of the hairstyle? Koska Reeves obviously has a very distinct hairstyle.

Yes, I am so thankful for that hairstyle. Maria, our makeup artist and hairstylist on The Mandalorian, created it. I love the cross braids, and I think it’s just so beautiful. I’ve already seen a lot of girls tag me in pictures of cosplays. I cannot wait to see more eventually. It’s so, so cool.

I’m so used to the blue hair I wear every single day, so to wear something so different was so cool.

Going back to wrestling, you did a lot of moves. How many of the stunts did you do, and was it you in the helmet during those fight scenes?

A lot of the stunt I dud, but I got a double as well. Because again, I have to wrestle every single day. I didn’t want to get hurt, and everybody supported me in that set. But if I saw something that I could do and wanted to do, they let me.

How was it acting alongside the puppet of Baby Yoda? It looks amazing on the show.

I don’t even want to call it a puppet, because to me he’s so, so real. People legit go up to it when we’re on our break to talk to it and to look at it, and it moves. It looks so real, and it was such an honor. Yoda in general is such a legendary icon. But the Baby Yoda? You kind of just want to kidnap him, because he’s so, so cute. He’s amazing. I have one coming in the mail.

Looking ahead, where would you like to see Koska Reeves go or what would you like to see her do in the future?

Oh, my gosh. If I’m able to come back on The Mandalorian or Star Wars, I would love to help Bo-Katan on retrieve the Darksaber. That’s what I would love to see.

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About The Author


Alex Leadbeater
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Screen Rant’s Managing Editor, Alex Leadbeater has been covering film online since 2012 and been a permanent fixture of SR since 2016. Based in London, he oversees a global news & features team based in NY, LA and beyond. You may have also seen/heard him on the Total Geekall podcast, unaffiliated YouTube channels, BBC Radio and CBC News.

Growing up in the English countryside on a mixture of Star Wars, The Simpsons and Aardman, Alex is a lifelong movie obsessive. Despite a brief jaunt in Mathematics at Durham University, film writing was always his calling. He’s covered a wide range of movies and TV shows – from digging out obscure MCU Easter eggs to diving deep into deeper meanings of arthouse fare – and has covered a litany of set visits, junkets and film festivals. He once asked Tom Cruise about his supposedly fake-butt in Valkyrie (he swore it was all real).

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