Mon Mothma's Significant Dance Dismantled: A Discussion with Tony Gilroy and Genevieve O'Reilly
In a thrilling departure, the opening trio of Andor season two has dropped on Disney+, plunging us back into the action-packed early years of the rebellion in the Star Wars universe. During an exclusive interview with io9, showrunner Tony Gilroy and star Genevieve O'Reilly, who plays the iconic Mon Mothma, delved into the climactic moments of the third episode. Gilroy also shed light on the creation of these gripping three-episode narrative arcs.
io9's Sabina Graves asked Tony, "The initial plan was for Andor to run five seasons, with each season covering a year, but that evolved into these three-episode 'movie' arcs. How much of the backstory was provided and developed as you went along?"
Gilroy explained, "I initially thought, 'Oh my god, well... is it going to work? Is it going to have lots of exposition when we come back?' I didn't want to do that. If you'd asked me in the beginning, I would have thought 'Oh, I'm going to have to write a huge bible of negative space of all the things that happen in between,' but no, no."
io9 went on to ask Genevieve about the ease in finding Mon Mothma's dynamics in these formative years of the rebellion, "Was it really liberating to have that negative space and those broad strokes to find Mon in these formative years in building the rebellion? I found her moment of letting loose in particular in episode three so cathartic. Can you take me behind where you were in having that moment unfold for her?"
Genevieve shared, "Those first three episodes go over three days. It's in her ancestral home, it's within her family culture. I felt really steeped in her history there and we didn't-like Tony said, there was very little exposition. It's just: there she is, that's the practice, that's the ritual. We understand it implicitly and then moving through those three days of that wedding and the inter-complications of the family relationships with her daughter, with her husband, the in-laws, and then having Luthen there-there was so much going on. And as we come to the pointy end of those three episodes, you really feel the implications of where she is at that moment, not just with the weight of those familial kind-that rigorous tension of what that wedding was, but then with Luthen being there and coming in with a clear eye in regard to her friend Tay Colma."
In episode three, we witness Mon Mothma's liberating dance, a moment Genevieve described as "a woman just wrestling with her own internal chaos." For Gilroy, this dance sequence served more than just aesthetic purposes, he saw it as a way "to bind the audience to the characters."
What sets Andor apart is its unconventional storytelling approach, with each three-episode arc covering a year in Cassian's life over a span of four years. This allows for pivotal moments to be highlighted without a gradual build-up, while simultaneously posing the challenge of showing continuous character growth through episodic jumps. As we continue to tune into this dynamic and intriguing series, we eagerly await to see where the story takes us next.
Want more insights on the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases? Or maybe everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who? io9 has got you covered. Don't miss out and catch the next episode of Andor on Disney+!
- The third episode of Andor season two, currently available on Disney+, delves into the climactic moments of the narrative arc.
- In an interview with io9, Tony Gilroy, the showrunner of Andor, discussed the evolution of the initial five-season plan into three-episode 'movie' arcs.
- Genevieve O'Reilly, who plays Mon Mothma in Andor, spoke about finding Mon's dynamics in the formative years of the rebellion, describing her liberating dance in episode three as a moment of internal chaos.
- During the interview, Gilroy mentioned that the dance sequence in episode three was not just for aesthetic purposes but served to bind the audience to the characters.
- Gizmodo and movies-and-tv entertainment sites like io9 offer insights on the latest releases from Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who.
- As we anticipate the next episode of Andor on Disney+, we eagerly await to see where the unconventional storytelling approach takes us in the future.
