'Andor': Denise Gough on playing Dedra and her relationship with Cassian, 'not particularly fond' of Diego Luna's hero
The Empire will be in full focus in 'Andor' when it premieres later this September, and featured in the list of antagonists is Denise Gough's Dedra Meero, an imperial officer who serves Palpatine. As the release date for the series draws closer, there are newer details emerging about the characters in the 'Rogue One' prequel, and Dedra's story, in the words of Gough, sees her as a battle-hardened baddie who gives off Reva vibes from 'Obi-Wan Kenobi'.
Gough, in an interview with Total Film, explained the shades of her character. “As a woman, in that world, for her to advance in any way, she has to be like 10 times better than anyone else in that room,” opined Gough. “And that felt really relevant to everything we’re going through right now. […] It’s a clever thing to do, to show you how hard she has to work. It kind of brings you in to feel cheerleader-y for her – and then you’ll be like, ‘She’s a psycho!’ So be careful supporting her…”
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Quite simply, it goes on to show how male-dominated the entire Empire structure was and how Dedra had to climb every rung meeting outrightly ridiculous expectations. There's no doubt that her character ticks due to the challenges she faces in the series, and when factoring Diego Luna's Andor in, there's a lot at stake. Gough also shed light on her interactions with Andor, hinting that she was “not particularly fond” of Luna’s character. But at least she wasn't “obsessed” with the rebel intelligence officer like Syril (Kyle Soller), an inspector on duty on planet Ferrix.
The official synopsis reads, "The Andor series will explore a new perspective from the Star Wars galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception, and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero."
'Andor' premieres September 21 on Disney+ with three episodes followed by a new episode weekly.