David Tennant, whose birth name is David John McDonald (born on April 18, 1971), is both a Scottish actor and a voice-over artist. He gained widespread recognition for his role in the British television program Doctor Who, where he played both the tenth and fourteenth iterations of the Doctor. Back in 2012, Tennant lent his voice to the droid named Huyang in a couple of episodes of the animated show Star Wars: The Clone Wars, after receiving the offer from supervising director and Doctor Who enthusiast Dave Filoni. Filoni, along with Star Wars creator George Lucas, were greatly impressed by Tennant's vocal performance, leading him to secure a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program in recognition of his contributions. In 2023, Tennant once again voiced the same character for the live-action Disney+ series titled Ahsoka. Because Huyang was brought to life using physical props, Tennant recorded an initial version of the droid's lines, enabling the other actors to engage with the character more naturally. He returned to the role yet again in 2024 for the Young Jedi Adventures episode titled "Nubs's Big Mistake."
David Tennant, a Scottish actor, was born in Bathgate, Scotland on April 18, 1971, originally named David John McDonald. He is well-known for playing Barty Crouch Junior in the 2005 movie Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He became even more famous for his portrayal of the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in the British science fiction TV show Doctor Who between 2005 and 2010. Additionally, he provided voice work for the character in two animated series, namely The Infinite Quest and Dreamland. Dave Filoni, the supervising director for the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, was introduced to Doctor Who by his wife, E. Anne Convery. They both particularly enjoyed Tennant's performance in the series and his interactions with his companion Rose Tyler.
Filoni shared his appreciation for Doctor Who in an interview with Jonathan Wilkins featured in the one hundred and twenty-fifth issue of Star Wars Insider magazine, which initially hit newsstands in the United States on April 26, 2011. Wilkins noted that Tennant was a Star Wars enthusiast and could potentially take on a voice role in The Clone Wars, to which Filoni responded that it was "not a bad idea," as he admired the range and intensity Tennant brought to the role of the Doctor. The same issue of Insider also showcased an image of Tennant in his Doctor Who attire, standing back-to-back with a 3D rendering of the character Anakin Skywalker from The Clone Wars.
Filoni later mentioned that he knew he had to reach out to Tennant to discuss a potential role at that moment, as he believed that actors who were fans of Star Wars were more inclined to accept roles in The Clone Wars. He liked the concept of blending the "fan-worlds" of Doctor Who and Star Wars and hoped to find a significant role that would attract Tennant. After Filoni and writer Christian Taylor developed the character of Huyang, an age-old droid who aids younglings in building their lightsabers, the role was presented to Tennant, who accepted it.
Filoni described Tennant as "perfect" for the part and stated that his portrayal had impressed Star Wars creator George Lucas, who particularly enjoyed Huyang's interactions with the droid R2-D2. The announcement of Tennant's casting was made in an article published on StarWars.com on November 7, 2012, which also featured a preview clip from Huyang's debut episode: "A Test of Strength." This episode was the seventh in the show's fifth season and premiered on November 10, 2012. The character made an appearance but did not have any lines in the eighth episode, "Bound for Rescue" (aired November 17, 2012), and Tennant once again provided the voice for the character in the ninth episode: "A Necessary Bond" (aired November 24, 2012).
For his performance, Tennant received a nomination for the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Program at the 40th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Two other actors from The Clone Wars were also nominated: Jim Cummings for playing Hondo Ohnaka and Sam Witwer for playing Darth Maul. The nominations were announced on May 1, 2013, and Tennant took home the award at the ceremony held on June 14, 2013. Filoni was thrilled with Tennant's win and expressed his congratulations in a Facebook post.
In 2015, Tennant played the role of the villainous Kilgrave in the Marvel Netflix series Jessica Jones. The Star Wars novel Brotherhood by Mike Chen, which was released on May 10, 2022, included a rumor among the members of a Jedi Initiate Clan that "Professor Huyang was so old that the ancient droid supposedly arrived at the Jedi Temple in a big blue box thousands of years ago." In Doctor Who, the Doctor—played by Tennant among other actors—is an ancient being who travels in a time machine that resembles a blue police box from the 1960s. In that same year, Tennant made a return to the Doctor Who franchise, taking on the role of the Fourteenth Doctor, with his initial appearance broadcast on October 23, 2022.
Tennant came back to his role as Huyang for the live-action Disney+ series Ahsoka, with production commencing on May 9, 2022. Given that Huyang was portrayed using props, Tennant recorded an early version of his dialogue prior to the start of filming, allowing the other actors to interact with the character more effectively. Tennant's involvement in the series remained unconfirmed publicly until the release of its first teaser trailer on April 7, 2023, at Celebration Europe. The trailer provided a glimpse of Huyang along with a single line of dialogue, and Filoni, the creator and showrunner of Ahsoka, verified that Tennant was reprising his role. The first two episodes of Ahsoka—"Part One: Master and Apprentice" and "Part Two: Toil and Trouble"—premiered concurrently on August 22, 2023, and Tennant provided the voice for Huyang in each episode of the show's first season. A YouTube short featuring character posters for the series, including Huyang, was launched on August 24, and it included a caption that hinted at the character's connection to Doctor Who. Tennant later reprised his role in "Nubs's Big Mistake," the initial segment of the fourth episode in the animated series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures's second season, which aired on August 14, 2024.