Prior to the Narkina 5 arc inTony Gilroy’s critically acclaimedAndor,StarWarsfans only knewAndy Serkisfor his memorable motion-capture performance as the sinister Supreme Leader Snoke in the first two films in the Sequel Trilogy. Serkis is a legend when it comes to performances where audiences can’t see his face, particularly as Smeagol inThe Lord of the Ringstrilogy and as Caesar in the recentPlanet of the Apesfilms. While he has had plenty of face time in films likeThe BatmanandLuther: The Fallen Sun, there is something about his performance as Kino Loy inAndorthat sets the role apart from the rest.
At Collider’s screening of the Narkina 5 arc at the Disney Studios lot earlier this month,Steve Weintraubasked Serkis about when he realizedAndorwas going to be something special. In turn, Serkis discussed his relationship withStar Warsand what he thought about the journey from Snoke to Kino Loy. Specifically, Serkis spoke about his initial concern about the connectionsStar Warsfans might attempt to make between the two characters, explaining:
“Actually, when I was approached, I was quite trepidacious because I was thinking, there were so many Snoke theories over the years that I’d had to duck and dive and avoid, and then I just thought, ‘Oh no, this is gonna be a nightmare because people are gonna think Kino Loy is somehow associated with Snoke, and I’m gonna have to talk around the houses.’
If there were any fans speculating that there was some connection between Snoke and Kino, it would seem like it’s time to tuck that away with the rest of your Snoke theories. At the end of the day, the two are distinctly different characters, which happen to be played by the same incredible actor. Snoke was designed as a predatory figure to torment young Ben Solo (Adam Driver), while Kino Loy was carefully constructed by Gilroy to push Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) into action and stand as a testament to the human spirit.
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He went on to explain that Tony Gilroy’s description of the character and the arc was what eventually won him over, with Serkis praising the way Gilroy has constructed the characters in the series. Serkis went on to say, “With every single character inAndorthere is such depth and humanity, and they are flawed, and the way that Cassian weaves his way through this incredible heroic journey through kind of experiencing all of these extraordinary characters.”
At the top of the conversation, Serkis spoke about when Gilroy approached him about the series and how he knew then that it was going to be something special, saying, “Oh, pretty much when I first talked to Tony about getting involved in it. I mean, he was so passionate about it. I was such a massive fan ofRogue One, it was such a great film, and, you know, having had the opportunity to have seen Star Wars from a particular perspective on the dark side.” He went on to say:
“The way Tony explained the arc that I was going to be involved in, you know, I just instantly had an enormous respect for [him]. I mean, I’ve always respected him as a writer-director, but just his integrity in terms of being authentic and knowing what he wants to say, and to use this platform, and to use this world and universe to say such important things about the human condition. To me, it really just took me in, and it’s exactly the sort of filmmaking or storytelling that I like to be involved in.”
Where IsAndorSeason 2 Headed?
AsAndorSeason 2 charges head-first into the thick of the rebellion, so too is the Writers Guild of America.One week ago writers across the industry went on strikeafter the studios (via AMPTA) refused to come to the table to negotiate fair wages and agree to the reasonable demands of the WGA.After Disney sent out a desperate and clearly slanted letterinsisting that showrunners had to remain in place during the strike, Tony Gilroy came forward this week to assure his fellow WGA members that he had ceased writing onAndorat the start of the strike and had also taken astep back from his producing duties. Filming for Season 2 began late last year, and when we spoke to Gilroy at Star Wars Celebration last monthhe was working on wrapping up the final scripts in anticipation of the strike. Unless the production shuts down due to the strike—which may be tricky, considering it is filmed in England—it is still on target to continue filming until August of this year.
Exact plot details for Season 2 are still largely unknown, Gilroy did share last year thatthe rebellion is headed to Yavin. While Season 1 spanned a short window of time in Cassian’s life (with the exception of his 30-day incarceration), Season 2 will be on a much more expedited timeline,with each 3-episode block spanning one year. Like with Season 1, those 3-episode episode blocks, will be written and directed by the same team, though Season 2 will see a few new faces on the production side of things.Ariel Kleiman,Janus Metz, andAlonso Ruizpalaciosare set to direct the scripts penned by Gilroy,Dan Gilroy, andBeau Willimon, who return to the series alongside newcomerTom Bissell.
Stay tuned for our full interview with Serkis andAndor’s executive producerSanne Wohlenberg.
