Whilst at Star Wars Celebration, Diego Luna, Genevieve O’Reilly, and executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg sat down with EW to talk about the upcoming Disney+ Andor series, where the trio shared new details about the show.
“Behind everyone that has brought change, there’s a story, there’s a reason,” Luna teases. “And I just love that now we have 12 episodes to tell you that story.”
While shooting Rogue One, Luna says he often found himself wondering about Cassian’s past — so he jumped at the chance to reprise the character for Andor.
“I remember living every day as if it was the last,” the actor says of filming Rogue One. “I mean, I never thought of being part of this universe at all. I was just a fan, and one day I got a call. I thought it was going to be a one-time thing in my life, and I shared it with my kids, and I saw it. I was ready to move on. And then I was invited to [return for the show], and it made complete sense. I had so much more to say and do with this role. I just wanted to explore many things that I thought about while I was shooting that a film would never allow you to explore.”
Another key Andor player is O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma, who begins the show as a politician in the Imperial Senate. This stoic senator and future Rebel leader has popped up many times throughout the Star Wars story: Caroline Blakiston originated the role in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, with O’Reilly stepping in for 2005’s Revenge of the Sith. Since then, O’Reilly has appeared in Rogue One and voiced the character on Star Wars Rebels.
“The idea of learning about this character — for me, as much as for anyone else — through a long-form narrative was really interesting,” O’Reilly explains. “We have now the chance to get to know the woman. Previously, she was a bit of a pillar, or maybe a statue. I love that now we get to excavate that a little bit and learn about the human being — the woman behind the gown, if you will.”
Read more here; Andor starts streaming exclusively on Disney+ from August 31st.
