In addition to the roundtable interviews you can listen to here on Episode 88 of RADIO 1138, on August 5th we attended the Global Press Conference for the upcoming Disney+ Andor series with the cast and crew, moderated by Joe Neumaier of New York Daily News.
The cast and crew in attendance were Diego Luna (Cassian Andor and Executive Producer), Genevieve O’Reilly (Mon Mothma), Kyle Soller (Syril Karn), Denise Gough (Dedra Meero), Adria Arjona (Bix Caleen), and Tony Gilroy (Executive Producer/Writer/Showrunner).
Here are the highlights: –
On creating the series, Tony Gilroy had this to say.
I think the main idea is we have a character in Rogue One. And we know where he ends up. And 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.
Look, there are a lot of characters in our show. Many of them are here today. But there are others. Everyone is going to be circulating and spinning and intersecting around the Cassian Andor story as we move towards Rogue One.
But it’s a potent moment in history. And a lot of people are facing a lot of really difficult times and difficult decisions along the way. And that’s what the show is about, the opportunity to do that on a large scale, on a big canvas, that’s why I’m here.
Diego Luna talked about stepping back into the role of Cassian Andor, and filling in the characters back story.
First of all, just the chance to be back working with this family, getting to do more stuff with Tony, which is someone I admire, and I love his company and, and collaborating with him is amazing. So just being back felt great. But I think Rogue One is a film about an event, you know? You don’t get to know those characters. You don’t get to understand exactly where they come from, what needed to happen.
And for me, it’s quite relevant today to tell the story of what needs to happen for a revolutionary to emerge, to exist, to come to live, you know. What gives meaning in the life of someone to be willing to sacrifice everything for a cause, you know? What needs to happen? That that journey matters to me. And the character says stuff that it haunts me in Rogue One. You know that he started to fight since he was six years old. What does that mean, exactly? You know, why a six-year-old would miss his childhood and start a fight?
That, to me, is really interesting to know. He talks about a 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 you know?
What can we expect to see from Mon Mothma’s character in the series, and how has she developed from her previous appearances. Genevieve O’Reilly had this to say…
You know, like you’ve said, 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 like with Cassian in Rogue One, she is to send people out on a mission.
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 a 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.
Adria Arjona spoke about what she most liked about her character Bix.
Well, I liked a lot of things about Bix. 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. And 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… She almost puts that as a 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.
Denise Gough explained how her character, Dedra Meero, fits into the story.
So Dedra is an ISP officer. And when we meet her, she’s at the kind of low end of the ladder. And she’s incredibly ambitious and meticulous. And what I love about playing her is that, you know, she’s in this very male-dominated world. And she’s seeing around her the way that people are missing what she can see is happening.
And we’ve been talking a lot about this today, both about Dedra and Syril and how they come into this world. They’re sort of 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.
I mean, I do kind of love that you’re thinking oh, go girl. And then you remember, she’s in a fascist organization. [LAUGH] And so yeah, I’m getting a real thrill being able to play her.
Kyle Soller explained what attracted him to the role of Syril Karn, and what he enjoyed most about playing him.
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 to, you know, he could kind of go either way. He could go into the Empire. He could go into the Rebel Alliance. And he’s got a lot of gray area.
And he came from a place of such lack and it’s such a pain in his home life, that he’s trying to fill this void within himself through the fascist, corporate, bureaucratic structure, where he finds order. And he finds a place to be seen if he can supersede his station and climb those ranks. And so really, 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.
Diego Luna shares some highlights from filming the series.
Oof, yeah, I mean, many of course. But I’m gonna say that probably this was like the first or second day that I arrived to Pinewood at the very beginning when we were in preproduction, and I go to the stunts, where they have an amazing facility and stuff for you to climb and to jump and to, you know, fall and roll.
And I go like, “Let’s do a very simple, you know, one. I need to get back into this.” [LAUGH] And I pretend I was 10 years younger, you know, than what I had to play in this show. And the next morning, I was like, shit, I’m gonna have to quit this job. I can’t handle this anymore. Like every part of my body ached, and I felt like I went into a battle, and it was just the first rehearsal, you know? And I was talking to my family, saying I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to do this. No one’s gonna believe, I mean, I’m gonna have to spend the first two months in a chair, you know?
Clearly, time passed, and gladly, there was a fantastic stunt that helped me and managed to do all the stuff I can’t do anymore.
The three-episode premiere of Andor begins on September 21st exclusively on Disney+.
