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Interview: Stellan Skarsgård and Genevieve O’Reilly Talk ‘Andor: Season Two,’ Their Characters’ Journeys, and What the ‘Star Wars’ Fandom Means to Them
April 26, 2025Ben MK
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Although it may have begun quite humbly a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, the Star Wars universe has become an unstoppable force. Over the course of nearly half a century and spanning a dozen feature films, seven live-action television series, and nine animated series, Star Wars has evolved from the relatively simple story of a naive farm boy, his wise mentor and the evil villain, and transformed into a complex and interconnected mythology of tales, all centering on the age-old battle between good and evil — the Jedi and the Sith. Once in a while, however, a Star Wars project comes along that takes the franchise back to basics — like Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and its prequel series, Andor, which told the story of the beginnings of the Rebellion, directly tying in with the climactic events of Star Wars: A New Hope. And now, with Andor: Season Two, fans can finally get to see how the events of the previous season lead into Gareth Edwards' 2016 standalone movie, as reluctant rebel spy Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) finds himself becoming an increasingly integral part of the dangerous and developing war against the Galactic Empire. I caught up with Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Luthen Rael, and Genevieve O'Reilly, who plays Mon Mothma, to chat about the second and final season of Andor and their characters' journeys, and to find out what being a part of such an iconic and celebrated franchise such as Star Wars means to them. The first season of Andor has often been hailed as Star Wars at its best. And given the season one finale, there was obviously a lot more story to tell in terms of bridging the gap to Rogue One. After season one, what were you most excited to see happen with your characters' journeys for season two? O'Reilly: In between filming season one and two, Tony [Gilroy] spoke to us about what his ideas were for the next season — the idea of the structure of the season being different, that we were going to cover four years, each year in three episodes. So it allowed for some big swings. I think for myself, personally, there were two things that I hope we've achieved. The first was that the notion that the wedding would be a very complex and difficult celebration; that it was something that Mon was compromised about, and that we could investigate what that compromise was. And then the other part that I was very excited to play was the politics, and having the opportunity to feel her political voice. And that her political voice may have an impact on the season. Skarsgård: Luthen is single-minded, in a way, and his goal is absolutely clear. And he goes to enormous lengths to achieve it. Sometimes brutal lengths. He's very brutal, but he's not more brutal than any general who fights a war. He doesn't sacrifice more people, but he does it and he believes in it. And whether he's right or wrong to have to sacrifice those people, I don't know. But what I was interested in was that he was feeling that the revolution was growing up, and having puberty, and leaving him. And that kind of slight sadness in him, I liked. 
Season two of Andor has a very interesting narrative structure, with each set of three episodes taking us one year closer to Rogue One. So in a way, it's like four films rather than your traditional season of television. With that in mind, what was it like making this season compared to the previous one, and did that structure influence the way you approached your characters' arcs this time around?O'Reilly: I don't think it changed the approach to character, because that's kind of our job. But jumping every three episodes to a different moment, only lasting maybe three of four days each time, really was quite liberating as an actor, because it allows for a real specificity of choice. It's almost like a magnifying glass over that moment. You don't have to worry about how you navigate moving from this dramatic moment to the next; it's done for you. So you really discover a complexity of characters and story, almost because we jump a year each time. Skarsgård: I agree. Of course, the more things change, the more they stay the same. And while season two does shake things up, the show is still the same blend of drama, intrigue and action. What has it been like collaborating with the series' mastermind, Tony Gilroy, and the other actors in the cast, especially Diego Luna? Skarsgård: Well, the rest of the cast, that's what I live off. I live off my colleagues. Honestly, I don't care so much about the rest of it. [laughs] The moment with a good actor on stage, that is heaven for me. I mean, every moment with Genevieve, it was heaven. Because we create there, the scene, or we create there, the personalities, or whatever. And then, of course, you have the beautiful writing of Tony Gilroy, the master that makes it possible. On all other films, I never read the stage directions, because I sort of feel them confining me. But here, I have to read them, because all the stage directions and the dialogue indicates what temperature you play the scene in, and what is for the scene. And Diego, I've been wanting to work with him for some years. We almost worked together on a film called Gold many years ago, but that crashed because the director was too good for the producer. But I know him, and I think he's not only a brilliant actor, but he's generous. He's soft, and I really like that. He had a lot on influence on how it turned out — the whole project. O'Reilly: Yeah, I would agree with that. First of all, about Diego, he's as charismatic and as generous as you'd imagine, but he is a gentle leader. And he was our leader, but he does it with grace and gentility, and he's a wonderful person to work with. I feel we were lucky. 
Genevieve, you give a very memorable performance in episode nine, and the same goes for you, Stellan, in episode ten. But was there a particular episode or scene from this season that was especially memorable for you to shoot, or one that was a personal favorite for each of you?O'Reilly: I would say, for me, the work in episode nine was everything that I was kind of hoping for as an actor, and driving towards. I think there's such complexity of character within that episode, but the speech at the end of episode nine is kind of the fulcrum of who she is. And I was just really grateful. She never picks up a weapon, she's not involved in the physical rebellion, if you will. So to allow her weapon to be her voice, to allow that voice to have an impact within the piece was everything to me. Skarsgård: I had a terrible experience — I had COVID, and then they just delayed one day of the shoot, and I got [back to work] right from [the moment] the line disappeared on the test, I went in. And I had three directors — two of them were new, I never met them before. And I had all of episode ten to make. It was in Valencia, and I don't know what I did then. So I can't say that I enjoyed it. [laughs] Of course, Star Wars Celebration in Japan just happened, which is a huge deal for the fans. What has the fan reaction been like for you? And what does it mean to you to be a part of such an iconic franchise? O'Reilly: Japan was extraordinary. The energy of the people there, the electricity, the welcome, the warmth, the excitement. It was palpable and tangible. We're kind of a world to ourselves when we're working. It's character, it's play, it's dynamics, so that's very personal and very intimate between us. There's a real threshold to cross when you are invited to share that with people. And to see the positivity and the reactions is everything. It's worth it all when you receive that type of welcome by fans. We were really touched by their generosity. Skarsgård: We worked on it for five years now. And you don't want to waste five years of your life without reaching anybody. So when you reach a lot of people with this impact, it's fantastic. 
Last but not least, season two marks the end of Andor, but this being Star Wars, we can never officially rule out the possibility of seeing these characters again. Do you feel like you've done all you’ve wanted to do with these roles? Or would you be open to returning to the Star Wars universe in the future?O'Reilly: I think Andor has really explored Mon in a way that she's never been given story space or screen space before. So I feel really fortunate that this version, this story, I got to be a part of. This has been such a surprise in my life. 20 years later, I'm playing a woman who I first played in 2005. So it's been a really lovely surprise for me. So, never say never, but I think this is the [most] definitive version of Mon that we've ever had. Skarsgård: I don't know. If somebody else has something to say about it or [if they wrote] a script about it, I think that Luthen could still surprise me. |
Andor: Season Two is streaming now, exclusively on Disney Plus.
