Spark of Hope: 1on1 with Stellan Skarsgard & Genevieve O’Reilly

With rebellion in its heart and war on the horizon, Andor has finally returned for its truly epic second season.

Now a key player in the Rebel Alliance, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) has taken up the mantle of responsibility in the battle against Imperial dominance. Even so, every move that he makes is being watched. As the stakes rise, Andor’s allegiance will be tested in a world of betrayal. After all, as it inches closer to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this is a world of growing evil and the evolution of a rebellion.

Once again returning as the honourable Mon Mothma and scheming rebel Luthen, stars Genevieve O’Reilly and Stellan Skarsgard light up the screen with their different approaches to fighting the rebellion. Whereas Mon Mothma seeks to wage her war at the political level, Luthen continues to stir the pot from the shadows by crippling the Empire’s resources. Even so, while their characters frequently disagree on their methodology, the actors believe that there remains a connection between them that plays out well onscreen.

 

“Mon definitely needs Luthen,” O’Reilly begins. “I think she’s obviously a deeply socially conscious woman. She is interested in working against the Empire, but Luthen is the mastermind. Luthen makes everything happen. He’s her teacher as well as her enabler, friend, and then not. He’ s everything… And I think because of the willingness to see their differences, you can see their intimacy.”

“I feel we don’t play much of the friendship but I think it’s there,” echoes Skarsgard. “It’s as if Tony [Gilroy] didn’t bother to write it, but we bothered to play it… It is also much more interesting, even if we’re quarrelling or on different side about practical things. It is more like an old marriage going over the things then sort of antagonistic… You swallowed the bait, but you can see things that are not said in dialogue and that is the fun thing about acting.”

But part of the reason that Andor sets itself apart from other Star Wars content is how grounded it feels. There’s an undercurrent of anxiety and frustration that feels almost current. Asked why she believes Andor feels so relevant today, O’Reilly highlights the show’s ability to emphasize the humanity of its characters.

“This is under the umbrella of science fiction or Star Wars, but really it’s an exploration of us,” O’Reilly points out. “There are different cultures within that Star Wars language. There are different planets, but that’s really examining different cultures, different communities, different relationships. The success of some of those relationships and the erosion of relationships and Empire is a part of us. Empire is the really ugly side of our own humanity. We find it across history and across cultures again and again. And revolution is a part of us. And so, I know it feels prescient. It feels of this moment, but it’s perhaps because it’s always been. And for Mon, even within her marriage, the Empire is within her marriage. It’s within her mother-daughter relationship. It’s in ourselves.”

Without lightsabers and (much) talk of the Force, these are characters who simply seem like they’re left figuring things out on their own. But, as Skarsgard points out, this also portrays their frailty as well.

“Well, first of all, it is about human beings,” Skarsgard argues. “It is not pure entertainment, but humans can be very entertaining. And here they’re shown in all their ugliness and all their beauty, and it’s the richness of the portrayal of human being, I think.”

“And I would also go back to what Stellan said before, which is it’s about community,” adds O’Reilly. “It’s about us. It’s about in the face of this bulwark of oppression that you have to hold hands with someone. You have to recognize it in yourself, and then you have to reach out in someone and hold someone else’s hand. That feels uniquely human, that we are powerful when we can find each other. When we can stand together.”

In this spirit, anyone familiar with the Star Wars universe knows that the concept of rebellion lies at the very heart of the franchise. And it goes without saying that this is also the case in Andor. When asked what is meant by the oft-repeated line “Everyone has their own rebellion”, Skarsgard points out that, when everyone views rebellion differently, it can make it difficult to bring change.

“Some are more rebellious than others,” he explains. “Some people don’t bother, but in a rebellion, everybody has its own rebellion. I mean, that is why it’s hard to have a successful rebellion. The French Revolution was successful about 200 years, about a hundred years after it occurred. It took some time for it to settle.”

Of course, those who are inspired to rebel usually cling to hope in order to see change. For O’Reilly, this concept of hope seems to differ for many but also gives them the necessary fuel to enact change.

“I think the antithesis to Empire is hope and revolution. It’s hope in action. It is at the core of our strive for freedom. It is hope. I guess everybody’s [understanding of hope] is individual, but it’s also hope is also universal. So, I think it’s within all of them.”

But the concept of freedom in and of itself seems to be a bit of a moving target. Yes, Andor and the Rebellion strive for freedom but what does that mean? What does it look like? According to Skarsgard, ‘freedom’ is a word that’s been damaged over the years by those who would misuse it to their advantage.

“I think freedom is such a destroyed word,” he proposes. “I mean, it is ‘freedom fries’ that french fries called when France didn’t want to do the war in Iraq, so they were renamed ‘freedom fries’. But I have problems using that word. I had problems with that line. I felt so American, and I couldn’t say it almost, but I said it anyway. It is a beautiful thing, but it is been kidnapped. The word is used for mainly by Conservative people who are really against freedom.”

“Freedom is an idea that, yeah, I agree, has been hijacked and associated with a patriotism,” O’Reilly continues. “[That,] in itself is a protectionist idea, which is antithetical to what the word freedom should mean. So, it’s difficult at the moment to pin down what that is. I think within our peace, I think they’re looking to move against oppression… I don’t know if it’s freedom.”

Says Skarsgard, “Is it freedom to have peace? Is freedom to have your children growing up securely and to have good education for them? Having universal healthcare, that’s freedom.”

“To make your own choices,” O’Reilly says emphatically.

It’s this spirit of change that makes Andor works so well. And, similarly, it’s this level of insight into their own sci-fi franchise that makes Skarsgard and O’Reilly’s performances so memorable.

The second season of Andor began streaming on Disney+ with new episodes on subsequent Tuesdays.

To hear our interview with Stellan Skarsgard and Genevieve O’Reilly, click here.

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