Star Wars: Andor: Ben Bailey Smith talks Supervisor Blevin

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Speaking with StarWars.com, actor Ben Bailey Smith – known to audiences for his performances in Law & Order: UK and David Brent: Life on the Road – discussed his role of Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin in Star Wars: Andor, and how he’s pleased to be playing an Imperial.

“First and foremost, I was so happy that he was part of the Empire. That was the first thing, because I’ve always been an Empire guy. Always. So just on that surface level, I was excited. Secondly, I’ve only ever played one villainous role before, so on another surface level, I was really excited about that,” he says. “But when I started reading the lines and saw how snide this guy was, and how weaselly, and kind of cowardly he was, I thought I could have a lot of fun with it.”

“My take on that — in homage to the films that I fell in love with, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back — was that if you get it wrong in front of Vader, the pincer fingers are coming out and you’re gonna get whacked. So that’s the way I played it with Blevin,” Bailey Smith says. “I thought, ‘More than anything, he’d love to get rid of her (Dedra Meero) and just keep rising his way, weaselly, to the top. But when he knows he can’t, playing the game is the most important thing.’”

STAR WARS L0-LA59 (Lola) Droid Toy, OBI-Wan Kenobi Series-Inspired, Interactive Toys, Toys for 4 Year Old Boys and Girls and Up
  • L0-LA59: Kids can bring home this loveable droid companion, L0-LA59 (Lola), and reimagine iconic Star Wars scenes or create their own
  • INTERACTIVE TOYS WITH LIGHTS AND SOUNDS: Press the button on L0-LA59's head to activate adorable droid sounds, a blue light in her primary eye, and a purple light in her mouth that can be opened and closed
  • POSEABLE PANELS AND HEAD: Adjust the panels on top of L0-LA59's head, tilt her head from side to side, and open and close her mouth to unlock a variety of poses
  • SERIES-INSPIRED DESIGN AND DECO: Standing around 5 inches tall, this Star Wars toy is inspired by the fan-loved character from the Obi-Wan Kenobi live-action series on Disney+
  • STAR WARS GIFTS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS: These robot toys make great gifts for 4 years old boys and girls and up who love Star Wars droids and electronic pets!
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Speaking with StarWars.com, actor Ben Bailey Smith – known to audiences for his performances in Law & Order: UK and David Brent: Life on the Road – discussed his role of Lieutenant Supervisor Blevin in Star Wars: Andor, and how he’s pleased to be playing an Imperial.

“First and foremost, I was so happy that he was part of the Empire. That was the first thing, because I’ve always been an Empire guy. Always. So just on that surface level, I was excited. Secondly, I’ve only ever played one villainous role before, so on another surface level, I was really excited about that,” he says. “But when I started reading the lines and saw how snide this guy was, and how weaselly, and kind of cowardly he was, I thought I could have a lot of fun with it.”

“My take on that — in homage to the films that I fell in love with, A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back — was that if you get it wrong in front of Vader, the pincer fingers are coming out and you’re gonna get whacked. So that’s the way I played it with Blevin,” Bailey Smith says. “I thought, ‘More than anything, he’d love to get rid of her (Dedra Meero) and just keep rising his way, weaselly, to the top. But when he knows he can’t, playing the game is the most important thing.’”

STAR WARS L0-LA59 (Lola) Droid Toy, OBI-Wan Kenobi Series-Inspired, Interactive Toys, Toys for 4 Year Old Boys and Girls and Up
  • L0-LA59: Kids can bring home this loveable droid companion, L0-LA59 (Lola), and reimagine iconic Star Wars scenes or create their own
  • INTERACTIVE TOYS WITH LIGHTS AND SOUNDS: Press the button on L0-LA59's head to activate adorable droid sounds, a blue light in her primary eye, and a purple light in her mouth that can be opened and closed
  • POSEABLE PANELS AND HEAD: Adjust the panels on top of L0-LA59's head, tilt her head from side to side, and open and close her mouth to unlock a variety of poses
  • SERIES-INSPIRED DESIGN AND DECO: Standing around 5 inches tall, this Star Wars toy is inspired by the fan-loved character from the Obi-Wan Kenobi live-action series on Disney+
  • STAR WARS GIFTS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS: These robot toys make great gifts for 4 years old boys and girls and up who love Star Wars droids and electronic pets!
Mark Newbold
Mark Newbold
Exploring the galaxy since 1978, Mark wrote his first fan fiction in 1981 and been a presence online since his first webpage Fanta War in 1996. He's contributed to Star Wars Insider (since '06) and Starburst Magazine (since '16) as well as ILM.com, SkywalkerSound.com, StarWars.com, Star Wars Encyclopedia, Build The Millennium Falcon, Geeky Monkey, TV Film Memorabilia, Model and Collectors Mart, Star Trek magazine and StarTrek.com. He is a four-time Star Wars Celebration Stage host, the only podcaster to have appeared on every Celebration podcast stage since the stage began in 2015, the Daily Content Manager of Fantha Tracks and the co-host of Making Tracks, Canon Fodder and Start Your Engines on Fantha Tracks Radio.
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