The eighth episode of the second season of Andor ‘Who Are You?’ is very pertinent for one character and the actor behind it, as the fate of Syril Karn is sealed and actor Kyle Soller looks at that momentous episode, specifically how people might view the Star Wars saga going forward after a show that is currently held in the highest regard.
“I think Andor has opened up a new avenue for Star Wars to explore. When I was watching season two, I got really affected by it,” Soller recalls. “There were moments where I felt like I was just watching an exceptional piece of television, and then I was like, ‘Oh yeah, it’s Star Wars.’ Andor has actually transformed the medium of this universe into art, and man, I am just proud to be a part of it.”
Chatting with IMDB (via Slashfilm) he also touched on how an iconic Twin Peaks character served as inspiration for Syril.
Syril spends all of “Andor” season 1 believing himself to be on a crusade to personally save the Empire from a single criminal in a backwater planet. So, when he gets a promotion in season 2, he takes full advantage of it to reinvent himself. It’s not just that Syril gains confidence; he also starts channeling one of the most beloved TV characters of all time: Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper from “Twin Peaks.”
That’s right. In season 2 of “Andor,” Soller looked to Kyle MacLachlan in order to portray Syril as the polar opposite of Dale Cooper. As Soller explained to IMDb, “I didn’t want to say anything because I thought maybe [the show’s creatives would] be like ‘Oh no. Oh no, no, no.’ But I was secretly going to those scenes like, ‘I’m f***ing Dale Cooper, man. This is great.'”
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Soller clearly feels for his GFFA counterpart and how fate held the worst hand for Syril.
“It’s so intense. And then all of that betrayal that he’s feeling from Dedra and from the Empire is then funneled into seeing the guy that he blames for everything that has ever gone wrong in his life. And he just throws out all of his aggression onto Cassian.
And then the ultimate last bit of disappointment is that Cassian says, “Who are you?” It’s just brutal. Because he has maybe delusions of grandeur, but Syril believes he is doing the right thing in his own little sliver of the Empire, which is so disconnected from the higher echelons, and he kind of is doing the right thing. He thinks he’s there to trap outside agitators and he’s being a good cop, but he feels like he makes an impact.
And for this guy, of course, he doesn’t. For Cassian, he doesn’t make an impact at all. Cassian barely sees his face. But for the years that Syril has obsessed and obsessed and poured his ambition and aggression into disappointment, into this kind of totem of Cassian, for him to be met with that brutality at the end was like, I felt for the guy, man.”
Speaking with Collider, Soller was keen to explain how important the costumes were to Syril, something that has shone throughout the two seasons (and not just for Syril, for all characters).
Well, Michael Wilkinson, who’s doing the costumes, and Emma Scott, who’s hair and makeup, are genuine geniuses. They operated the same way as Tony because that ethic of work comes from the top down. So, they were very inclusive. They were like, “This is kind of what we’re thinking, but what do you think?” And they knew how my hair goes when it’s longer and stuff, so they were like, “Well, let’s try to maybe use that because we can tell the story with the hair, and we can tell the story with the costume, that you’re starting to blend in.” I was seeing it always as Syril’s armor is starting to have chinks in it. He’s starting to open up to those around him. As he’s getting in deeper, he’s blending in more and becoming one of the Ghormans, actually, more in soul than in just appearance.
Finally, a good day for Syril (and Kyle) as the Dutch Garrison induct Kyle into the 501st at Comic Con Holland.
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