At long last, Andor starts streaming this Wednesday with a three-episode premiere that will surely blow the socks off diehard Star Wars fans and while, we're sworn to secrecy regarding any potential spoilers, we recently caught up with actress Genevieve O'Reilly (Tolkien; The Kid Who Would Be King) to talk about her eagerly awaited return as Mon Mothma.
Having starred in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and the Star Wars: Rebels animated series, O'Reilly should be a familiar name to Star Wars fans and she was more than grateful to express her immense excitement at getting another chance to play in this vast world.
Our time was fairly short, but we cut right to the chase and asked her about the new layer of Mon Mothma she hoped to uncover in this latest Star Wars adventure and what sort of headspace we'll find her character in the wake of what happened in Revenge of the Sith.
Check out the full video interview below and please remember to LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
ROHAN: You've played Mon Mothma in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and Rebels - what did you feel was left unexplored about this character that you were excited about getting a chance to revisit in Andor?
GENEVIEVE: I mean, so much. We've previously met her as one of the leaders of the rebellion, she's always surrounded by rebels. She's usually sending someone off on a mission. There is an organized rebellion behind her. Where we meet her in Andor, there is none of that. She is a member of the Imperial Senate, she is representing Chandrila within that Senate, we know that she is an advocate for democracy within that autocracy, but when we meet her in Andor, she's a very lonely, isolated voice of opposition.
We have so much to learn about her. How dangerous is it to be that lonely voice? How much she has to lose? What does she have to sacrifice before we find her in that rebellion, in that rebel world of Yavin in Rogue One, we start her in such a very different place in Andor. There's a long way to go.
ROHAN: Chronologically, the last time Mon Mothma appeared was in Revenge of the Sith, and, as we know, the good guys suffered some major setbacks near the end of that film - what is her headspace as we're reintroduced to her in Andor? And, what was your experience stepping back into this character's shoes, with Tony Gilroy steering the ship once again?
GENEVIEVE: I mean, it's extraordinary having the opportunity to do this with Tony, because he's such a brilliant writer. He is such an extraordinary, textured, rich writer of this genre, and so to have him at the helm here is nothing but a win for Star Wars fans, I think.
You mentioned Mon Mothma in Revenge of the Sith, and I was fortunate - and those scenes didn't make the film - but I was fortunate enough to film those scenes, and they were about fighting for democracy within the Empire, trying to affect change from within. We know she's been a senator since the time she was 16, so she comes from some pretty strict cultural customs.
We meet her in Andor in a place where, I think, for a long time, she has been believing that everything that she said in Revenge of the Sith, believing that she could make a change, affect change from within, believing that you can shift the dial within an autocracy if you just keep fighting, and I think when we meet her in Andor, she has come to the end of that hope. She realizes she has to step outside all the safety nets that she's had her whole life, and she has to risk it all.
ROHAN: Since this film does take place after Revenge of the Sith and before Rogue One and A New Hope, there are a lot of Star Wars characters alive during this particular time period - is there anyone you hope to cross paths with before the end of this show's two-season run?
GENEVIEVE: I mean, I would hope she gets to meet them all. *laughs* If you even think about Rogue One and the characters in Rogue One, I'm fascinated to see who she crossed paths - who within Tony's planetary mind - who she crosses paths paths with. I think she has the position to hopefully encounter many. It can only make her richer and I'm really looking forward to seeing how Tony writes her to Rogue One, how far we have to go. I'm as excited about that, maybe even more excited than the fans are.
The “Andor” series explores a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It is an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.