Interview: The Cast of Disney’s Star Wars Series ‘Andor’
George Lucas is back with yet another Star Wars creation. The director is not only known for the Star Wars franchise but also for the adventurous Indiana Jones movies. The upcoming standalone Star Wars series combines action, science fiction, and thriller with the first three episodes releasing on September 21st. Andor follows the rebellious spy, Cassian Andor during the years of the Rebellion and the challenging missions that follow.
The prequel to Rogue One, this 12-episode series will mainly focus on Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. After having his home destroyed by the Empire, the rebellious spy steps up to sacrifice himself to save the galaxy. However, a few other characters will be introduced like the secretive senator, Mon Mothma, and the imperial officer, Denise Gough.
Here’s the scoop on the cast of the upcoming series, Andor!
Meet the Cast
Diego Luna reprises his role as Cassian Andor after appearing in the spin-off film, Rogue One. Besides his role as the rebel spy, he is the executive producer behind the series. The Mexican actor, singer, director, and producer also makes his appearance in Dirty Dancing 2.
Genevieve O’Reilly plays Mon Mothma, a human politician who served important roles in the Chandrila and the Alliance. Her character has shown up in Rogue One and Revenge of the Sith. The actress has also appeared in Glitch and Tin Star.
Kyle Soller portrays the character, Syril Karn, the human inspector who goes after Cassian Andor during the Imperial era. His live-action character was the first to appear in promotional images by The Walt Disney Company. His most known movies are The Titan and You, Me, and the Apocalypse. Even though Kyle does appear in films, he mainly focuses on tv shows.
Denise Gough plays Dedra Meero, an officer of the Imperial Security Bureau. Her main role was to lead imperial forces on Ferrix. In the series, Andor, Meero is portrayed as the antagonist. The actress’ most recent appearance is in the Broadway production, Angels in America.
Adria Arjona portrays the character, Bix Caleen who runs into problems with the authorities on Ferrix before meeting Cassian Andor. Her character has been solely created for the 2022 Andor series. Moreover, Adria is an actress who has made a name for herself in box office movies.
Tony Gilroy is an executive producer, writer, and showrunner for the standalone Star Wars series. Gilroy is the screenwriter behind the Bourne Trilogy and Michael Clayton.
New Perspective of the Star Wars Galaxy
Andor offers a glance into the rebellion before Rogue One. Tony talks about his vision for creating the upcoming series, “I think the main idea is we have a character in Rogue One. And we know where he ends up. We know how accomplished and complicated he is. And the idea that we can do a story that takes him literally from his childhood origins and walk him through a five-year history of an odyssey that takes him to that place, during a revolution, during a moment in history in a place where huge events are happening and real people are being crushed by it, The fact that we could follow somebody as an example of a revolution all the way through to the end, that was the walk-in for me.”
The Role of Cassian Andor
Diego reveals his thoughts about filling in the details of his character, “I think Rogue One is a film about an event. You don’t get to know those characters. You don’t get to understand exactly where they come from, and what needed to happen. It’s quite relevant today to tell the story of what needs to happen for a revolutionary to emerge, exist, and come to life.” Diego further mentions the character’s dark past, “He talks about doing terrible stuff for the Rebellion. What is he referring to? I think that story matters. That story is interesting. And there is a lot of material there for us to play. So I was really excited to be able to go into that journey and give those answers.”
Mon Mothma Returns
The standalone Star Wars series gives an opportunity to expand on Mon Mothma’s character. Genevieve further explores the different sides of her character in Andor. “We’ve met Mon Mothma before in different iterations, in different versions of the Star Wars storytelling. And each time we’ve met her, we’ve met this kind of composed, regal, dignified woman who often sends people out on a mission.”
Genevieve also responds by saying, “I think what’s extraordinary about how Tony has written Andor and where he has chosen to begin this story is so very different to where we find Mon Mothma in Rogue One. She is still that very dignified senator. But for the first time, we get to see the woman behind the role. We get to see the private face of Mon Mothma. We get to flesh out not just the senator, not just the would-be leader of a Rebel Alliance, but also the woman.”
Strong Female Character
Bix Caleen is known as a character that refuses to step down and the upcoming series will bring her strength to life. Adria mentions the qualities of Bix that she loves the most, “I think she’s fearless. And she’s bold, yet really deep inside, she’s incredibly loyal and compassionate and cares a little too much for the people around her. I think that’s sometimes at her own detriment. I think this boldness and powerful thing is sort of like a facade that she puts on for show. But deep down, she cares deeply about the people around her. And I think that’s the part that I love the most about Bix.”
Dedra Meero’s Appearance
Denise explores her character and how she fits into the story. “So Dedra is an ISP officer. When we meet her, she’s at the kind of low end of the ladder. She’s incredibly ambitious and meticulous. And what I love about playing her is that she’s in this very male-dominated world.”
Denise further responds by saying that “Dedra and Syril are outsiders within the ISB. And so yes, she’s clawing her way up the ladder. And I love portraying the effect that power just has on a person, like the danger of that pursuit of power and control, regardless of gender.”
Playing Syril Karn
Kyle reveals what made him want to play the interesting character. ” Well, what attracted me to the role was Tony’s writing. He had created a character that was really three-dimensional and had a big question mark over him as he could kind of go either way. Syril could go into the Empire. He could go into the Rebel Alliance. And he’s got a lot of gray area. What Tony created and having a character that wasn’t really sure about himself was what kind of made it the most fun to play.”
What the Audience Should Know
Tony Gilroy mentions his thoughts on who will enjoy the new series. “The show exists because there’s an enormous, arterial, important, passionate Star Wars community. That’s what gave us the money and the momentum and the ability to make a show that’s this insanely big. That audience is our primary concern, and we want to bring something to them that is in a completely different lane than what they’ve had before, but we’re doing it in a completely uncynical fashion.”
Watch the first 3 episodes of Andor on Disney+ on September 21st!
For the scoop on more Disney+ shows, visit these:
- Interview: The Cast and Crew of Ms. Marvel
- Interview: The Cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi
- Moon Knight Episode 5 Review: An Emotional and Traumatic Mind Game
