As the second and final season of Andor forges on, characters are lost along the way, and one of the most important one’s so far was Cinta, the fierce warrior rebel played by Doctor Who star Varada Sethu, and she spoke recently with Variety about the character and why she believes the decision to kill her was rooted in both the mundane and the brave.
Variety: What was your reaction to reading the script for the first time and finding out Cinta’s fate?
VS: Tony Gilroy called me and told me about it before the script even arrived. It’s a weird reaction to have, but I felt excited. I felt very sad that I wouldn’t be able to hang out with my friends and be on set for longer, for sure, but I thought it was such a brilliant ending. My belief was that Cinta was always going to die in the rebellion. I couldn’t really see someone like her outliving a rebellion. It’s just so horrific, but I just felt it was so brave and unapologetic and that’s what makes “Andor” and “Rogue One” different from the other “Star Wars” shows and films. It’s the stories about the grassroots people. It’s not actually about the heroes. We’re not looking at a Skywalker that can do mind tricks. These are the people who have to spill blood to lay the groundwork for someone greater to emerge.
Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Tony Gilroy explained the reasons for Cinta’s demise.
“It was totally story, and the tragedy of them getting back together.” Gilroy says. “I mean, it’s the same thing with [actor] Joplin Siptain and Brasso — there has to be a cost as we go.”
Varada also spoke with Collider about her excitement for the rest of the season on a show she is clearly very fond of.
“In a broad sense, I am just so excited to see the show and how it plays out, because the writing is so good. It’s so, so good. It’s so clever, so layered, it’s so complex. I love the tone. I love all of the Easter eggs. I love that it’s this show that’s been created retrospectively. How often does that happen when something that’s set chronologically in a different time make the rest of it even better? We know what happens in the end in Rogue One to all of them, and you’re still so on board. Oh, it’s such a beautiful show. I love it so much. I also get a very, very cool stunt in it, and I can’t wait for people to see that.”
Finally, speaking with Flaunt, Varada explained the challenge of portraying characters from very different worlds to our own.
You also reprised your role as Cinta Kaz in Andor Season 2. Doctor Who and Andor are both set in science fiction universes, marrying fantasy and action. What is your approach to embodying characters experiencing worlds so different from ours, while maintaining human qualities audiences can resonate with?
My approach is exactly that—finding the human qualities in the characters’ stories. I strip away all those external details and try to gain an understanding of the character’s inner world, what their values are, what their goals and dreams are. When you then put that into context with what happens in the plot, it means you can find the familiar, human emotions at play—even if it’s at the helm of an intergalactic spaceship.
