Andor Star Continues A Troubling Trend Among Recent Star Wars Actors

For many actors, earning a role in Star Wars is a dream come true. Katie Sackhoff, for example, was overjoyed to reprise her role of Bo-Katan Kryze in live-action for The Mandalorian. Likewise, Ming-Na Wen (Fennec Shand) left Mark Hamill speechless as she gushed about appearing in a Star Wars feature with the Luke Skywalker actor. However, there seems to be a disturbing trend lately among other actors appearing in the franchise. Recent comments from one of the stars of the upcoming Andor series continue that trend – Star Wars actors possessing a significant disconnect from, or even a seeming disdain for the franchise in which they’re now appearing.

Jake Cannavale appeared in a single episode of The Mandalorian, yet thereafter unloaded his opinions about how bad (he thought) The Rise of Skywalker was. Bill Burr famously dissed the franchise before delivering an emotionally packed performance in the The Mandalorian Season Two’s Chapter 15, “The Believer.” Even Hollywood legend Werner Herzog (The Client) admitted that he’d never seen a Star Wars movie before joinging the franchise. Well, add Andor actor Stellan Skarsgård to the list of Star Wars actors casting aspersions at the franchise in which he’s about to star.

Stellan Skarsgård: the latest among Star Wars actors to criticize the franchise

Skarsgård, as we know, is a Hollywood mainstay. From Good Will Hunting to Chernobyl, he’s notched his belt with some heavy, dramatic roles. Of course, he’s also taken a more comedic turn in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Dr. Selvig. Now he joins the ranks of Star Wars actors in the cast of Andor. It’s a seemingly odd choice for an actor who views the franchise as one consisting of “little more than little plastic people falling over.”

Skarsgård made the comment in an interview with the Daily Beast while discussing his role in Andor. “I’ve seen all the Star Wars films, because I’ve had children in the ‘80s, and the ‘90s, and the 2000s, and the 2010s,” he says. Although, to him, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story specifically stood out. For the Swedish actor, that film had “much more atmosphere and seemed a little more mature…” than the rest of the franchise. “[A]nd that was Tony Gilroy, who’s the showrunner on…” Andor.  

Tony Gilroy key to Stellan Skarsgård joining Andor

We love Skarsgård and his body of work, and look forward to seeing him in Andor. It does beg the question, however. Why join the ranks of Star Wars actors if you think the franchise as a whole is vapid and immature? Obviously Tony Gilroy is the answer. Hopefully his influence on the series will make Stellan Skarsgård a true Star Wars believer, after all.  

Source: Daily Beast