In an interview with Slashfilm, veteran actor Andy Serkis discussed his unexpected return to the Star Wars universe in Episode 8 of Andor, where he plays Imperial prisoner Kino Loy. “I felt much less pressure because I kept the whole thing a secret for a long time.,” Serkis said about his role. “Nobody knew about it until last week. There was no pressure whatsoever in the sense of it being out there. I think that was a great thing not having it announced earlier.”
Serkis’ last appearance in the Star Wars universe was in The Last Jedi, where he played Supreme Leader Snoke. Snoke was more or less the main villain of The Last Jedi. “Well, you can’t really compare them, in a way,” Serkis said. “They’re so entirely different.”
"I loved playing Snoke. Snoke was a great character to play. I never thought I’d be coming back into the universe to play another character, but when [Andor creator and Rogue One writer] Tony Gilroy approached me and said, ‘Look, will you come and play Kino Loy?’ I was like, ‘Is this going to be confusing to everybody?’ There are so many Snoke theories flying about, is this really going to throw fuel on the fire?”"
Is Andy Serkis’ character in Andor related to Supreme Leader Snoke?
Although Snoke became the subject of many rumors and theories, I think we can safely say that he and Kino Loy are not related. Andor in general is far less grandiose than the Star Wars sequel movies; that’s part of what attracted Serkis to the series in the first place. “I really was such a fan of Rogue One, and Tony’s description of the character of Kino Loy, it was so endearing in a way, because here was this man who actually really cares about the greater good, who is now incarcerated and loses touch with himself and becomes very cold hearted and just wants to survive and just look after number one.”
That is, until Episode 9, where Cassian and Kino find out that release from the prison is no guarantee of safety or freedom. It’s in that moment that Loy decides to join in Cassian’s efforts to mount an escape, finally telling Cassian how many guards are on each floor at a time.
“Then he goes back on the reverse journey when he comes into touch with Cassian Andor and finds his common humanity again. I think that journey is really interesting,” Serkis said. “The world of Rogue One, it feels so gritty, and real, and human, and complex. Unlike the world that Snoke lives in, which is very much about the dark and the light, this is much more about the gray areas of the Star Wars universe.”
With only three more episode of Andor left, we will see how Kino Loy and Cassian’s prison break unfolds. We know that Cassian will make it out alive, as Rogue One takes place after Andor, but Kino’s fate is yet to be determined. Whether he makes it or not, I think most will agree with Serkis that it was a delight to see him in this show. “It’s a nice surprise, I think, hopefully for everybody. It certainly took the pressure off.”
Tony Gilroy confirmed that season 2 of Andor is set to begin filming on November 21. Gilroy has previously said that season 2 of Andor will also be 12 episodes and lead directly into the events of Rogue One.
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