Actress Adria Arjona delves into the details regarding playing her character Bix Caleen in Star Wars: Andor, a task that’s tricky enough in isolation but even tougher considering her place in the Star Wars galaxy, a location that can be somewhat distracting.
“I think at the beginning, you’re sort of understanding exactly where Bix lies historically, and it doesn’t really quite matter, because, really, you don’t have to have watched any of the movies to watch the show. But to me, that was really important, to sort of make it well-rounded. Then I was watching welding videos to sort of get this physicality. I went into a really deep, deep black hole there.”
“There were definitely challenges, like there are playing just about any role, but there’s an element of Star Wars that comes to the table, which sometimes can become the main character of a scene, and you sort of have to forget about it quite quickly.”
“Everything around you is so Star Wars-y. You sort of get overwhelmed by it, and get nervous by it. But you sort of have to be like, ‘No, I’m telling a story that just happens to take place in a galaxy far away.’ You need to focus yourself.”
“That was challenging, also, because you get so excited between takes. You see a creature act, and you’re like, ‘Oh my God, this is the coolest thing,’ and you want to take selfies with him. And you’re like, ‘No, Adria. Focus! You’re playing Bix.'”
“I think it’s such a complex show. There’s so many different ingrained messages throughout the entire show, but I think, essentially, what I want people to take away is the introduction of all these incredible characters. They’re going to really get to know Cassian, and really understand why he becomes who he ends up becoming, and why he does the things that he does.”
“So that’s what I really want people to take away, to sort of go in there with an open heart, and go along for the ride. Because it’s a hell of a ride.”
You can hear our roundtable chat with Adria on Making Tracks.
