With the second season of Andor currently filming and the first season still very much at the forefront of Star Wars fans minds, The Hollywood Reporter took the opportunity to speak with star and producer Diego Luna about the project, a show that bucks expectation and delivers a show every bit as nuanced as any mainstream drama on the market.
The two season series is a prequel to a much-loved modern classic in Rogue One, and THR asked knowing what he now knows about the character whether he would play things differently if he had another shot at filming Rogue One.
THR: Knowing what you know now about the character, does part of you wish you could go back and play Cassian in Rogue One again?
DL: Hmm. I’ve never thought that way because we were able to tell this story by knowing the end. It was always a reference that Cassian gets there, so how far can we go back? How twisted can we make the journey to get there? How many times can he fail before getting there? How conflicted can we make him? How contradictory can we make it? And it was always because we had that reference. So my brain works differently, and I’m more obsessed with sticking to what’s already there.
I remind myself all the time of where the character ends up and what choices I made, because that gives structure to everything I’m doing now. So I’m starting the other way around. It’s less, “Oh, I wish,” and it’s more like, “Okay, because I get there, I can do this.” So that is where I found freedom and all the different ways I can get there. And then I’ll think about what is the most unpredictable one. So, all the layers we didn’t get to see in the film, I get to explore them now. If I had tried them at the time, then I wouldn’t be able to explore them now. So it’s just a perspective kind of thing. The freedom comes from knowing exactly what he does.
Given the huge critical success of the show, collecting numerous nominations and awards (most recently a Peabody for the first season), Luna himself couldn’t quite believe how well the whole process went.
THR: Speaking of mature writing, when you read that the series begins with Cassian visiting a brothel and eventually killing two cops, did part of you think that Disney wouldn’t let you guys get away with that?
DL: It wasn’t just that; I always had a feeling that this wasn’t gonna see the light [of day] till it did. (Laughs.) I kept going, “This is too perfect. This is working.” The whole idea, I always thought, “That’s impossible.” Throughout the whole process, we did exactly what we thought was best. We never prioritized anything but the show. The writing took the time it needed to take, and we got the best cast you can have. So everything just kept getting better and better, and I always had the feeling that something had to go wrong. But it didn’t. We had the freedom and the support of Disney and Lucas[film]. We had the confidence of Kathy [Kennedy] behind the show.
You keep hearing in this industry that this is impossible and that this doesn’t happen. I grew up thinking that the cinema and the art I love was not popular, but this is a show I love. This is a show I would recommend as the audience, not just as the actor or a producer. So, it wasn’t just the opening. Many times throughout the whole process, I found myself being impressed and surprised that this was happening. And I felt proud of it. Even today, I feel not just lucky, but fortunate to be a part of something like this and to be working with people I believe in. We have a team and we have a structure that keeps pushing us to be better and to take more risks and to get further. So it’s quite impressive from every angle. It happens on every level of the show, with every department.
- L0-LA59: Kids and fans can bring home the animatronic toy edition of this loveable droid companion, L0-LA59 (Lola), and reimagine iconic scenes from the Star Wars Galaxy
- INTERACTIVE TOYS WITH 45+ LIGHT, SOUND & MOVEMENT COMBOS: Touch the sensor on L0-LA59's head to unlock more than 45 different light, sound, and movement combinations through 3 unique modes.
- 3 MODES OF PLAY: Enter Companion Mode by attaching L0-LA59's legs, Hover Mode by attaching her stand, or On the Go Mode by removing her from either base and pretending she's zooming through the galaxy
- SERIES-INSPIRED DROID MOVEMENTS: In Companion and Hover Mode, this Star Wars toy opens and closes her mouth, moves the panels on top of her head, and tilts her head from side to side
- RESPONDS TO SOUNDS: This adorable robot toy responds to background noises with different combinations of lights, droid sounds, and movements
