In the highly anticipated Disney+ series Andor, fan favourites Genevieve O’Reilly and Diego Luna reprise their beloved roles of Mon Mothma and Cassian Andor from Star Wars: Rogue One (2016). Supanova had the chance to talk with the stars to get an idea of what to expect from the new series, and what it’s like being part of one of the world’s biggest franchises.

O’Reilly is quick to describe Andor as “undoubtedly Star Wars“. “It’s galactic in scope,” she adds, before Luna notes, “The idea makes sense. We don’t get to meet the characters [in Star Wars: Rogue One], it’s more about one event.”

Luna explains that even though Andor is named after his character, it doesn’t just follow Cassian’s story: “It’s not about one man, it’s about a revolution.”

O’Reilly adds, “Mon Mothma starts Andor in a very different place than we’ve seen previously… striving to affect change from within the Empire.

“The design, both costume and the sets, leans into that. [My] costume is different… it nods to the fact that she begins so far from where we meet her in Rogue One.”

Luna expands on just how immersive the sets of Andor really were, stating “most of the effects are done on set”.

“You get to a location and the location is there. You’re not acting in front of a giant green screen”, he excitedly reports.

“We were talking to the creatures. We were piloting the ships. You get to a set, and every button pushes. You touch things and things happen. They make noises. It’s really cool. When you open shelves, there’s stuff there. It’s amazing to work like that.”

Both Luna and O’Reilly have high praise for series creator, Tony Gilroy, who pitched the series as a spy thriller.

Given Luna also served as a producer (“I like being part of the process from scratch”), he worked very closely with Gilroy and was “present through the whole process”. It was such a satisfying experience and everything worked so well that the actor jokes, “I don’t know if I’ll be able to collaborate with someone else again.”

When asked if there was any pressure to succeed due to the popularity of Rogue One, Luna is calm.

“There’s so much love for this. It’s good pressure. It’s not destructive pressure.”

Both O’Reilly and Luna are reeling with excitement to see how fans react to the new series. O’Reilly leaves us with the understanding that Andor will be “a cinematically satisfying experience for audiences”.

The first three episodes of ‘Andor’ season one premiere exclusively on Disney+ on September 21