Andor, premiering September 21, is adding some gritty realism to the repertoire of Disney+'s Star Wars shows. Serving as a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which in turn was already a prequel to A New Hope, the new series adds a human element to the rich lore of the galaxy. The show centers on the early years of Rogue One deuteragonist Cassian Andor and explores a new side of the Rebel Alliance.
Diego Luna returns to play Cassian in Andor, and he is joined by familiar faces from both Rogue One and Star Wars Rebels. But even as the series expands on characters fans already know, it also introduces new ones into the mix. One such newcomer is Bix Caleen, played by Adria Arjona. Bix is a crucial part of not only Cassin's backstory but also the social ecosystem of Andor's primary setting, Ferrix.
Arjona spoke to Screen Rant about how her character fits into Andor, what her dynamic is with Cassian, and how different the new series is from previous projects set in the Star Wars universe.
Screen Rant: Since these are new characters, I need your help telling me who they are in the Star Wars universe. We have Bix Caleen: who is she?
Adria Arjona: Bix is the owner and manager of a salyard in Ferrix, and she is bold and fearless. [She's] incredibly caring of the people around her—sometimes at our own detriment—and she's a childhood friend of Cassian Andor. They have such a interesting dynamic, those two. Because they've known each other for so long, it's sort of like their trust has been broken and rebuilt and broken and rebuilt. And every time he steps into her life, something shifts. He always comes with trouble, that Cassian. He's something.
That's Bix. I'm in love and obsessed with her and the journey that she goes on in the show, and I'm so excited for everybody to watch it.
What was your "I'm in Star Wars" moment? You get to the set; is there a moment where you're like, “Oh, I feel truly immersed in this world.”
Adria Arjona: There's so many moments. The first time I tried on my costume, I couldn't stop staring at myself. I was like, "Oh my God!" Your whole body transforms, you know?
And then the first time that I walked onto the set, I was mindblown. It was an entire city. They built the actual City of Ferrix; it exists. It's a whole city; it's outdoors. It's huge. I do feel like I felt it was bigger than what it really was, but I'm just going with five city blocks. It was remarkable. And I think every day stepping on set, you're like, "Oh my God, I'm in Star Wars. I'm in Star Wars." It was hard to remove yourself, and it was hard to forget that you were in Star Wars.
I think until you start doing the scenes, you're like, "Okay, I'm just in this world." And by the end, I was very much from Ferrix.
I know one of the important things about Star Wars to me is the fandom, and you're on the cusp of it. What does the idea of people cosplaying as Bix or dressing up on Halloween as Bix mean to you?
Adria Arjona: I haven't wrapped my head around it as much as I probably should. I think when you do these shows, you really do it for the audience. You really want to take care of the story, and want to take care of the world, and want to take care of your character—because you want people to enjoy it. You want people to live in it and enjoy the whole journey.
Even when doing press, you almost want to protect it for the audience. You don't spoil anything, so they can have the most amazing experience when watching it. That's where my head is at; it's almost like protecting it so everyone can go see it and go watch it, but also enjoy it with fresh eyes.
I haven't thought about it as much, but I think I'm going to be way too excited. And I'll probably be the one taking pictures with people who dress up. I'm not going to play cool. I just know myself too well. You don't get used to that; that's impossible.
I there a character in the entire Star Wars universe that you'd love to cross paths with at some point?
Adria Arjona: I don't know. I don't know who. That's a tricky question. Chewy's quite cool.
Yoda would be great to meet and speak to; that would be a great scene. But I don't know about the timelines. That's way beyond my capacity.
What would you say sets Andor apart from other Star Wars projects we've seen so far?
Adria Arjona: I think it's incredibly real. I think what Tony has created is a story about us. It's a story about people. It's a story about the characters, and you see ordinary people who have nothing in common on the cusp of a revolution. And what does that mean? Does it mean unity? Does it mean they fight together? What does that sort of mean?
He really did a great job of creating this world, and I think you'll see the origin of this character that is so beloved. From childhood, you'll really get to understand his whole journey. And obviously, where he ends up, we all know that. And in the meantime, we're meeting characters that we already know and meeting new characters like Bix.
It's a huge show. You have everything you want from Star Wars. The action, the special effects... You get everything you want from a Star Wars show or movie, but it's incredibly grounded. I think it's the most grounded version of Star Wars and the most real I've personally seen.
Andor Synopsis
Andor will explore a new perspective from theâ¯Star Warsâ¯galaxy, focusing on Cassian Andor’s journey to discover the difference he can make. The series brings forward the tale of the burgeoning rebellion against the Empire and how people and planets became involved. It’s an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue where Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a rebel hero.â¯
Check out our other interviews with Andor stars Diego Luna, Genevieve O'Reilly, Kyle Soller and Denise Gough.
The first three episodes of Andor premiere September 21 on Disney+.