Stellan Skarsgård, Luthen Rael in Andor, has made Variety’s list of 100 Greatest TV Performances of the 21st Century at #85, making him the only Star Wars entry in the top 100.
On this exhilaratingly intelligent — and eerily well-timed — “Star Wars” series about building a revolution against fascism, Skarsgård plays a man fueled by his rage against the Galactic Empire who cannot ever let himself fully express it. Instead, Skarsgård betrays Luthen’s feelings in finely calibrated micro-expressions, as he manages the fragile factions of the nascent rebellion and recruits disillusioned thief Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) to join it. It’s only when one of Luthen’s moles in the Empire demands to know what he has possibly sacrificed that Skarsgård finally takes the lid off. “I’m condemned to use the tools of my enemy to defeat them,” he says, his eyes burning with pain and regret and anger. “I burn my decency for someone else’s future. I burn my life to make a sunrise that I know I’ll never see!” It’s a monologue for the ages, proving that the Force is clearly with Skarsgård.
Stream the first season on Andor on Disney+ now, with the second/final season arriving on April 22nd.
