'Andor' star Genevieve O'Reilly sheds light on Mon Mothma, labels Disney+ series a 'sociopolitical drama'
Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma is looked at as one of the major players in 'Star Wars: Andor' and 'The Secret star explained why the 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' prequel served as the perfect platform to explain the story of one of the more key figures in the franchise.
In an exclusive with Entertainment Weekly, the Irish-Australian actress shed light on Mon Mothma and also the Diego Luna-starrer. "We really get to develop her as a character, and we get to learn about her not just as a senator, but as a woman," she told the outlet. "[We learn] what her life is like, what she has to wrestle with, what are the dangers to her life, what it costs to be her. [Showrunner Tony Gilroy's] writing is so intricate and so taut. It lives in this world of the spy genre, of a sociopolitical drama, and yet it's set within a Star Wars world. So it feels universal and intimate all at once."
She further added, "We see her talking to senators, and then we meet her at home with her husband. We see the public and the private. We see her literally and figuratively take off her cloak and reveal herself as a woman in a way we've never seen before."
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O'Reilly also stated that she studied Caroline Blakiston's portrayal of the character in 'Return of the Jedi'. "I was always interested in her, and each time I go to play her, I go back to that scene," she said. "You can see when Caroline does that in that scene, for me, there was always a pain at the heart of it. You could see that she was carrying a pain, and I was really curious about what that was. What has happened in this woman's life? What has it cost to be her? What are the sacrifices that she has had to make along the way to be that leader of a rebellion?"
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' releases September 21 on Disney+.