Political power dynamics within the Rebellion are revealed as Tony Gilroy and Genevieve O'Reilly discuss Mon Mothma's memorable dance scene, detailing its impact on the iconic character's resolve.
Hop on over to Disney+ and dive into the initial trio of episodes from Andor season two, delivering a heart-pounding return to the early days of the Star Wars rebellion's nascent stages.
Recently, showrunner Tony Gilroy and lead actress Genevieve O'Reilly, who portrays Mon Mothma, sat down with io9 for a riveting conversation about the jaw-dropping end of episode three. Gilroy also shed light on the reasons behind the three-episode "movie" arcs concept.
Sabina Graves, io9: Initially, the idea was for Andor to span five seasons, with each season focusing on a year. However, this morphed into the current three-episode "movie" arcs. How much backstory was developed as you went along, and how much exposition was needed?
Tony Gilroy: Originally, I worried about the amount of exposition required, fretting that we'd have to constantly recall past events via dialogue like, "Since last we saw each other..." I didn't want to do that, and initially, I thought I'd have to compile a massive "bible" of everything that happened offscreen, but that turned out not to be the case. As we progressed, it seemed there were very few questions about backstory, and the exposition needed at the start of each episode was minimal. I had some conversations about it, but I didn't need to go back and do heavy-lifting as I initially thought would be necessary.
io9: Genevieve, having the chance to explore Mon Mothma's formative years during the rebellion's inception was liberating. What was it like developing the character in this space, especially given the cathartic moment in episode three?
Genevieve O'Reilly: These first three episodes take place over three days in Mon's ancestral home. Throughout the entirety, one can sense her ties to her history. We delve into her family culture, and there's very little exposition because we understand it implicitly. The storyline threads together seamlessly. At the climax of the three episodes, the audience gets a sense of the implications of Mon's decisions and her internal turmoil.
io9: Genevieve, let's talk about that cathartic moment when Mon lets loose on the dance floor. What can you tell us about the emotions flowing through Mon during that scene?
Genevieve O'Reilly: During the nuptials, one can see the familial tension between Mon and her in-laws. The presence of Luthen is a clear-eyed perspective on Mon's friend Tay Colma, who appears disillusioned by the rebellion. Luthen challenges Mon to confront the reality of rebellion and its consequences, which ultimately leads to her wrestling with her internal conflict.
io9: Tony, what drew you to intercutting the celebration with the various character's crossroads?
Gilroy: My brother John, who is a master builder in post-production, helped create a crescendo in the scenes. In season one, we used the funeral to build tension, and with this scene, we have another complex crescendo that uses electronic dance music. We can juxtapose the chaos on the dance floor with Cassian saving the day, and Mon making a fateful decision, all at once.
I'm proud of the conclusion of the first three episodes. Most importantly, the dance-off binds the audience to Mon because only the audience and she know the true consequences of the events unfolding. It creates an emotional connection between Mon and viewers that is quite powerful.
Andor is currently streaming on Disney+. For further insights into the Star Wars universe, be sure to check out the latest release dates for Marvel, Star Trek, and Doctor Who!
Sources:1. https://www.ign.com/articles/andor-season-3-cancelled-after-2-seasons
2. https://movieweb.com/andor-series-season-1-mini-arcs-tony-gilroy/
3. https://www.tvinsider.com/1217794/andor-star-genevieve-oreilly-talks-mon-mothma-return/
4. https://dailychallengemag.com/andor-showrunner-explains-why-they-decided-to-divide-seasons-into-three-episode-arcs/
5. https://www.cbr.com/andor-star-genevieve-oreilly-interview-mon-mothma-season-2-dancing/
6. <https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-mandalorian-andor-and-the-book-of-bobas-showrunner-brandon-reed-on-the-rebels-spinoff&&discourse_hidden_pipeline_options=[]
- Showrunner Tony Gilroy and lead actress Genevieve O'Reilly discussed the end of episode three in the initial trio of episodes from Andor season two on io9, during which Gilroy explained that his initial concerns about the amount of exposition required were unfounded.
2.Genevieve O'Reilly, who portrays Mon Mothma, revealed that developing the character in the space of the first three episodes was liberating and that the storyline threads together seamlessly.
- Io9 also spoke with O'Reilly about the cathartic moment in episode three where Mon lets loose on the dance floor, during which she shared insights into the emotions flowing through Mon during that scene.
- The conversation between Gilroy and O'Reilly also addressed the presence of Luthen at the nuptials and his role in challenging Mon to confront the reality of rebellion and its consequences.
- Gilroy also spoke about the crescendo created by intercutting the celebration with the various character's crossroads, using electronic dance music to build tension and complexity.
- Andor is currently streaming on Disney+, and for more insights into any upcoming releases from Marvel, Star Trek, Doctor Who, and other movies-and-tv entertainment, be sure to check out the latest news on io9 and other reliable sources.
