Genevieve O’Reilly talks playing Mon Mothma in both Andor and Ahsoka

Genevieve O’Reilly impressed Star Wars fans with her performance as Imperial senator Mon Mothma in Andor, although she’s actually been playing the role for years now. She first appeared as Mon Mothma in 2005’s Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, but her scenes were largely cut. She also voiced the character, now a leader in the Rebellion, in Star Wars Rebels.

But it wasn’t until Andor that she really got to dig into the character, showing us how she fosters a rebellion against the Empire even as she rubs elbows with Imperial officials. Mon Mothma’s husband supports the Empire and her daughter resents her; she’s even fighting her own family.

“[W]hat a lovely surprise to have the opportunity to play this woman again, and not only play her but to actually discover her as a woman, not just as the senator – to really stretch within her to find out about her life and who she was,” O’Reilly told Discussing Film. “It’s been really special for me to get the opportunity to do that.”

When Genevieve O’Reilly got invited to play Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Ahsoka

Apparently, O’Reilly’s performance in Andor has been so compelling that Star Wars producers Dave Filoni and Jon Favreau have invited her play Mon Mothma again on Ahsoka, which is set after the Empire has fallen. So O’Reilly has played Mothma before the rise of the Empire in Revenge of the Sith, during the height of their power in Rebels and Andor, and now after they’re gone in Ahsoka. Caroline Blakiston first played Mothma for one scene in 1983’s Return of the Jedi, but at this point she feels like Genevieve O’Reilly’s character.

“It was fascinating that they asked me and it was such a surprise,” O’Reilly said. “I was really thrilled that Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni were interested in me coming for a minute to play with them. They’re such brilliant filmmakers. It was just thrilling for me to be able to go over and play with them for a bit. I’m a huge fan of Rosario [Dawson], she’s a brilliant and formidable woman and actor. I think what they’re doing with that piece is going to be really exciting. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is a wonderful actor and to get to work with her also was amazing.”

"It felt extraordinary for Mon to get the opportunity to enter a different world again, and perhaps that’s because I’m so invested in Andor. But when Jon and Dave rang and spoke so passionately about Mon, and made it clear that they really wanted her to be in Ahsoka, I felt humbled that they were inviting me to come and join them. They’re brilliant storytellers and filmmakers at the cutting edge. What they’re doing over there with how they use The Volume, they film in a very different way than how we filmed [Andor]. That was really exciting and informative for me to go over and learn how they do that because using that kind of cutting-edge technology to inform the piece, it’s a very different way of filming. I was grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of that."

Ahsoka premieres on Disney+ on August 23. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see Andor season 2, but at least O’Reilly is still in the mix.

When will Star Wars: Andor season 2 come out?

Andor is a different kind of Star Wars show than many fans are used to: grittier, bleaker, and nary a Jedi nor lightsaber in sight. There was a risk that fans might not like that, but they’ve embraced it as the best thing to come out of the Star Wars universe in years.

“It really meant so much that the fans put their arms around Andor,” O’Reilly said. It feels like a very different piece of work from other Star Wars projects, so it could have been something that they didn’t enjoy. But the fans have loved it, are invested in it, and are curious about it. They’ve gone with [showrunner Tony Gilroy’s], so it felt really special to share that and for it to be received not with apathy, but with excitement and gratitude. People really, really understood what we are working towards. They really liked the textured grittiness of the show and really saw the humanity within it too. That fan base is such a special and passionate group of people. It meant so much to us that they liked it.”

"Now we’re filming season two, and I can’t be anything but excited for them. Oh my gosh, it’s this massive juggernaut of storytelling, and all those fans kind of know where it’s going. Andor felt like something really new when we shared it, but now everybody’s invested in that world as well as these deeper, slightly different versions of these characters. Everything is really driving to a very exciting finish. We’re in the middle of filming season two right now and I’m as desperate to share it as people are to see it, so we all have to wait 12 months!"

Hopefully 12 months. Now that both Hollywood writers and actors have gone on strike, it’s possible filming on Andor season 2 could be delayed. We’re all hoping that a fair deal is reached.

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