The Leader of a Rebellion

Host Anthony Carboni welcomes Genevieve O’Reilly to the Star Wars Celebration LIVE! stage, introducing her as the Galactic Senator turned rebellion leader, Mon Mothma. O’Reilly sits down to massive cheers, and Carboni highlights that despite playing the character for decades, the series Andor is the first time she has been able to truly dive in and explore Mon Mothma. O’Reilly expresses her gratitude for the opportunity, crediting creator Tony Gilroy’s writing for giving her the space to explore the character as a senator, a wife, a mother, and a woman.

Ripping Hearts Out

Carboni notes that the audience is used to seeing Mon Mothma as a perfect, idealistic leader, and asks if it was fun to “ruin that” and rip the fans’ hearts out in this gritty series. O’Reilly apologizes playfully but explains that while Mon Mothma has always been a statue of dignity and loyalty, they are now busy carving out the real woman within that statue. Like all characters in Andor, she is complicated, messy, and passionate, carrying a heavy burden of sacrifice. Carboni jokes about the “couch of sadness” in Mon Mothma’s apartment, noting that whenever a character sits there, their life is about to take a terrible turn. O’Reilly laughs, agreeing that “it’s not a comedy that’s for sure.”

A Chaos of Concealment

When asked if a specific line of dialogue from the first season stuck out to her, O’Reilly immediately points to two quotes. The first is when Mon Mothma tells Tay Kolma, “what people say about me, what people know about me, it’s a lie.” The second is when she describes navigating the politics of Coruscant: “I show you the stone in my hand, and you’ll miss the knife at your throat.” O’Reilly explains that these lines perfectly capture a character who is all about concealment and hiding her true ideals while navigating an Imperial Senate, calling it a “chaos of concealment.”

Curated, Not Made

Carboni praises the visual language of the show, noting that Mon Mothma’s apartment and wardrobe are so perfect that he wants to live there. He asks if O’Reilly ever wanted to take any of the iconic costumes home. O’Reilly credits costume designer Michael Wilkinson, noting that his team didn’t just make the costumes, they “curated” them like pieces of architecture. However, she admits she has no desire to wear them at home because they are highly structured and not very comfortable, preferring to leave the incredible wardrobe at work.

Finding a Collective Voice

Reflecting on her scenes with Stellan Skarsgård, who plays Luthen Rael, O’Reilly notes that acting with him is like being kids in a candy shop. Carboni points out that their characters should be perfectly aligned but always seem to clash. O’Reilly explains that this tension is the core of the show. At this point in the timeline, there is no collective rebellion, just seeds of oppression growing in different spheres. The characters need each other, but they differ greatly in their approaches, which makes space for the excellent drama that Tony Gilroy’s writing provides.

A Thrilling Second Season

Before wrapping up the interview, Carboni asks for any hints about the currently filming second season. O’Reilly teases that while the first season set everyone up with parallel stories, the second season will jump forward a year every three episodes. This structure gives the story a laser focus. She promises the crowd that the upcoming season will be “more dangerous, more passionate, more emotional, and more thrilling” as the story drives toward its conclusion.