Hallmark Star Reveals Major TV Role ‘Destroyed My Confidence’

Katee Sackhoff has opened up about a challenging period in her career when playing Bo-Katan Kryze in “The Mandalorian” left her struggling with self-doubt and confidence issues that affected her ability to secure new roles for several years.

The Hallmark star, who appeared in the 2021 Hallmark holiday film “Christmas Sail,” as well as the acclaimed sci-fi series “Battlestar Galactica,” shared her honest account during a recent episode of her podcast “The Sackhoff Show,” revealing how the experience of portraying the militant Mandalorian character created unexpected professional challenges that extended far beyond filming.

Struggling to Connect with Iconic Character

Sackhoff explained that playing Bo-Katan presented unique difficulties because she couldn’t establish the personal connection that had helped her succeed in previous roles. The character’s motivations and personality felt completely foreign to her own experiences and instincts as an actor.

“I lost all of my confidence after Mandalorian. All of it,” Sackhoff shared on her podcast. “I’ve always played two steps removed from myself, in a sense. It always felt grounded in some part of my belly, of who I was. Bo-Katan is nowhere near who I am as a human being. Her life, what she wants — I didn’t understand her.”

The actress continued to describe her struggle: “As much as I understood her, I never felt her in my stomach. I never identified with her. I didn’t know how to find her.”

Sackhoff first voiced Bo-Katan in the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” in 2012, later reprising the role in “Star Wars Rebels” in 2017. She made her live-action debut as the character in two episodes of “The Mandalorian’s” second season in 2020, then played a more prominent role throughout season 3 in 2023.

Despite having experience with the character through voice work for about a decade, transitioning to live-action presented new challenges that caught Sackhoff off guard. The disconnect she felt with Bo-Katan’s personality and motivations created an unusual professional obstacle for the experienced actress.

Three-Year Career Struggle and Recovery

The impact of her “Mandalorian” experience extended well beyond the show’s production, affecting Sackhoff’s career trajectory and mental state. After season 3 wrapped in spring 2022, she found herself struggling to regain her footing in the industry.

“It broke me. It just broke me,” Sackhoff revealed. “I started doubting everything about myself. I’m not a strong auditioner on tape, and I was having to put myself on tape. I wasn’t booking anything. And for three years, I basically didn’t work, and it just destroyed my confidence.”

During this difficult period between 2022 and 2024, Sackhoff’s only on-camera credit was a single episode of “Law & Order.” She continued performing voiceover work for projects including “Robot Chicken” and animated “Watchmen” and “Justice League” movies, plus reprised Bo-Katan once more in a 2024 episode of “Star Wars: Tales of the Empire.”

Recognizing she needed help to overcome these challenges, Sackhoff made strategic changes to her professional team and sought guidance from an acting coach. This decision proved instrumental in helping her rediscover her confidence and passion for performing.

“[The coach] said to me, ‘My goal is not to teach you how to act. You know how to act,'” she remembered. “‘I just need to get you back in your belly. You just need to find your confidence again.’ That’s it.”

Sackhoff is now preparing for her return to television in an upcoming limited series adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie.” The project reunites her with filmmaker Mike Flanagan, with whom she previously collaborated on the 2013 film “Oculus.”

“I trust Mike,” Sackhoff said about the upcoming project. “I’ve relinquished control and I trust Mike, ’cause I’ve worked with him before and I know he’s amazing. I don’t know if I trust myself yet.”