It’s no bold statement to say that Andor will go down in history as one of the most legendary pieces of Star Wars media ever; indeed, beyond its highly important role in the mythos as the birthplace of Rebel Alliance, Andor brought George Lucas’ fan-favorite franchise to brand new storytelling heights that few projects will have any hope of replicating.
Not many Star Wars stories can tango with the arsenal at Andor‘s disposal, whether it’s the gripping dialogue, succinct plotting, or unique gravitas that comes with viewing the Empire’s reign at ground level. But, among the series’ greatest weapons is its plethora of performers, from leading man Diego Luna as the titular Cassian Andor, to Genevieve O’Reilly’s stunning reprisal of Mon Mothma, to Denise Gough’s magnetic turn as the thoroughly dislikable Dedra Meero. Not a single actor wasn’t at their best over the course of Andor‘s first season; a trend we expect will continue in the second one.
But, if a scene-stealing award was in play during the filming of Andor, we’d be surprised if it wasn’t nestling in Stellan Skarsgård‘s award cabinet right about now; the veteran actor delivered what was perhaps the single most electrifying monologue in the entire history of the franchise as Rebellion sparkplug Luthen Rael in the show’s 10th episode; the giant cherry on top of business-as-usual brilliance from.
The show’s titular star simply can’t get enough of the Skarsgård either; during a recent Drama Actors’ Round Table with the Los Angeles Times, Luna didn’t hold back in divulging just how much respect he had for his Andor co-star, suggesting that seeing the actor’s name attached to a project is all he would need for him to say yes to it himself.
I know Stellan Skarsgård for this show [Andor] and one thing we did before, and I would sign with my eyes closed if he’s around to do whatever. That’s the beauty of this job; you do a film where you have two or three scenes with someone, and suddenly you find your other half.
It seems as though the behind-the-scenes chemistry of Andor cast is exactly as fruitful as the final product’s quality suggests, and we can’t wait to see Skarsgård continue to work his magic in the show’s final season.
The first season of Andor is available to stream on Disney Plus. The second season is due in August 2024.