Returning ‘Star Wars’ veteran explains how their character fits into ‘Andor’

For a subset of Star Wars fans, Rogue One is the finest thing to come out of the saga’s Disney era, with many loving the prequel to A New Hope that tells the tragic yet inspiring tale of its titular doomed band of rebels. It’s taken some years to get off the ground, but we’re finally about to revisit the world of the movie in Andor, the incoming prequel series (yes, it’s a prequel to a prequel) starring Diego Luna as Cassian Andor.

The show will also bring back a couple of other familiar faces from the film, like Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera. Likewise involved is Genevieve O’Reilly, playing Rebel leader Mon Mothma for the third time. After Caroline Blakiston originated the role in Return of the Jedi, O’Reilly took over the part for Revenge of the Sith before then featuring in Rogue One.

Those two films hardly gave the actress much room to fully flesh out her character; however, so much about Mon Mothma remains a blank slate. Enter Andor, which will go some way to adding a lot of texture to one of the galaxy’s most unsung heroes. While speaking to Screen Rant, O’Reilly revealed that she has fallen in love with her part more than ever, thanks to her beefier role in Andor. She explained:

“I have even more admiration and respect for the character than I did before, once we’ve been able to excavate her, and see what her life is really like. What it was like to be a senator and to be married from the age of 16; how you’ve had to navigate the Imperial construct, and what that means to your life and choices. How free are you? And how difficult is it as a woman to have a voice in that environment? I feel terribly proud of her.”

O’Reilly went on to gush about how much filling in Mothma’s origins in Andor helped her better understand the decisions she makes later in life, something she hopes that the audience will likewise find when revisiting the films we’ve already seen her in. She continued:

“I’m thrilled because, in a way, this is unlike anything I’ve done before. I kind of know where she ends up, right? I’m interested in her journey to get there, and already I feel deeply proud of her. I’m a big fan of hers as a woman. After spending so much time with her, I really want to stand up for her. I really want to shine a light on her. And I think what we’re working to do in Andor will hopefully allow us to then see her, and to see those very small moments in those later films have weight behind her. We’re almost creating a foundation now for a woman that we will see later on. Gosh, it’s exciting to be able to do that.”

Of course, fans who’ve watched The Clone Wars and Rebels, as well as those who’ve read the novels and comics she appears in, may already have somewhat of a deeper knowledge of Mothma than what’s been imparted on screen so far. Still, it definitely sounds like Andor is going to make us find a new appreciation for a character many might not have thought twice about before.

Andor premieres Sept. 21 on Disney Plus.