Star Wars ‘Andor’ Cast Talk Character Growth in Season 2, Interesting Fan Engagement, and More
The Andor cast and crew continue to make the Emmy rounds. Most recently, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Adria Arjona sat down with Entertainment Weekly for an episode of Dagobah Dispatch. The actors discussed the changes we can expect to see in their characters in Andor season 2, in particular as a result of the sweeping time jumps the show makes between narrative arcs, as well as some questionable fan engagement towards Denise Gough’s Dedra Meero.
Adria Arjona remarked on the growth we get to see in Bix in season 2 and whether or not we’ll see Bix suit up for the Rebellion:
“There’s a time gap in between every couple of episodes. So this season, for me, is super interesting because I get to grow with Bix. And it continues to happen throughout the entire season. So you get to meet, like, three different versions of Bix. There’s an anger that I hope builds in Bix. Whether it’s revenge or whether it’s a closeness with Cassian because he saved her — of course she has to lean in. She’s always been a part of it, and I think by episode 9 of season 1, it was obvious someone must do something.”
Bix’s involvement in the Rebellion seems like a natural evolution for her character. Moreover, Bix has an intimate understanding of Dedra Meero that not many other characters in Andor possess, which I hope she’s able to translate into actionable strategy on behalf of the Rebellion, in addition to hosting a larger conversation around Bix’s recovery following the events of season 1.
Kyler Soller echoed Arjona’s comments on character growth:
“There’s a year gap … before we even start season 2, so these characters have progressed so much from when we last saw them. And then each character does have about three different versions that they wind up continuing to grow through and towards. Syril is on his kind of journey of trying to reach the upper echelons with the Bureau of Standards. And I’m trying to see whatever happens from that little moment covered at the end of season 1.”
Here, Soller is referring to the heady moment between Syril and Dedra during the riot on Ferrix.
Laughing about Syril’s strange infatuation with Dedra, Gough added,
“There’s a lot of middle-aged men who like Dedra. I’ll leave it at that. And I get a lot of women sending me footage of themselves dressed as Dedra walking in and out of rooms and drinking coffee, which I find inspiring. And unnerving.”
Despite her serious character flaws, Dedra Meero’s struggle for workplace recognition resonated with many female fans. When it became much harder to root for Meero when she revealed a complete lack of empathy and obsession with order, her workplace plight in earlier episodes of season 1 remained an inspiration.
It’s also worth noting in regards to Andor’s Emmy push that Diego Luna, who stands a solid chance of being nominated for best lead actor in a drama series, would find himself among rarified company should this come to pass. Luna would be the first Latino to be nominated in the category since 1999 and only the second ever, following Jimmy Smits’ nomination as Detective Bobby Simone in NYPD Blue. Luna would also be the first ever lead actor nominated for a Star Wars series. While the latter is in part not surprising given Star Wars recent foray (relatively speaking) into television, it would be an especially impressive accomplishment considering the general aversion to franchise films among the prestigious art awards. Luna’s performance deserves the recognition and I hope to see his nomination come through.
Showrunner, Tony Gilroy, is currently on strike in support of the WGA, but as of now Andor season 2 is still expected to release in August 2024. In the meantime, check out the latest comments from Stellan Skarsgard on Andor.
When she isn't watching her friends and family's eyes glaze over at the mention of The Clone Wars, she's at the park with her dog, Melvin, or on the couch with a book in one hand and a drink in the other. Physically, she lives in Ohio; spiritually, she lives in Naboo.
