Andor star, Genevieve O'Reilly recently broke down episode 4's first Mon Mothma scene. Set five years before the Battle of Yavin in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, the latest entry in the long-running science-fiction franchise stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor in a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, which saw Cassian and a rag-tag group of Rebels steal the plans to the first Death Star. Andor also sees the return of O'Reilly as Mon Mothma, an Imperial senator central to the Rebellion's cause.
Following Cassian and Luthen Rael's (Stellan Skarsgård) quick escape from Ferrix, Andor episode 4 finds Rael dropping Cassian off on the planet Aldhani to join a small group of resistance fighters in a mission against the Empire. Rael then returns to the Imperial capital planet of Coruscant where he leads a separate life as an owner of a boutique gallery of art and antiquities. There he meets with Mon Mothma where the two discuss the purchase of a valuable piece of history to mask their true intention to exchange information regarding the budding rebellion against the Empire. The senator explains that as their resistance grows stronger, the Empire has increased their surveillance over everybody in the government, hindering her efforts to provide financial support to the Rebel agents on the ground.
Total Film recently caught up with O'Reilly who discussed Mon Mothma's introduction in Andor episode 4. In the scene that the actor calls "wonderful," O'Relly explained that the scene truly demonstrates the level of secrecy Mon Mothma and Rael must balance to hide from the Empire. O'Reilly also praises Rael's gallery production design as it mirrors their public and private lives. Read what the actor said below:
"What's so wonderful about that scene is that it exposes the very different faces of both characters, the public face and the private face. What was wonderful was to play within that environment. The set that Luke [Hull], our designer, created – which is just stunning – also mirrored that public space and private space. So Stellan and I just had a joy playing that scene, wrestling the public, the private."
"And then within that, of course, is what we will reveal to each other. If we reveal, or what we reveal, not only within the public sphere, where there are other people listening, but even when we're together. What will we give away about each other? So there are layers to secrecy. There are layers to what you divulge. And there are layers to what you protect."
Andor Is Setting Up A Big Arc For Mon Mothma
Although Mon Mothma parades into Rael's gallery with confidence, she carries with her a level of trepidation as she can feel the eyes of the Empire upon her. The senator and Rael must use Kleya Marki (Elizabeth Dulau), Rael's assistant, to distract Mon Mothma's newly appointed driver to allow the two conspirators to abscond to the gallery's backroom to discuss Rebel matters in private. As O'Reilly explained, the gallery set parallels the facades Mon Mothma's and Rael's deliver to the public. Like the display of art in the gallery, the two put on a regal front that depicts two members of high society which masks their real work hidden away from prying eyes.
With that scene, Andor depicts the beginning of Mon Mothma's journey toward her future role as the leader of the Alliance to Restore the Republic. Even with the Empire snooping around, switching her servants without notice, she continues to support the cause. In a later scene where her husband, Perrin Fertha (Alastair Mackenzie), prepares for dinner with many of Mon Mothma's political enemies, the senator shows the real passion behind her role in the government as she attempts to convince her husband that his friends are truly hurting people. With only a few scenes so far in the show, Andor is setting up Mon Mothma to be a key figure in the development of the Rebellion, as well as Cassian's journey to becoming the Rebel hero who gave his life for the cause.
Source: Total Film