Posted in: Disney+, Star Wars, TV | Tagged: andor

Andor: Mendelsohn on Returning as Orson Krennic to Star Wars Universe

Ben Mendelsohn discusses Andor creator Tony Gilroy's pitch to reprise his Rogue One role as Orson Krennic and how the Disney+ series differs.

It's hard to believe it's been nine years since Ben Mendelsohn's memorable Star Wars debut as Orson Krennic, the Imperial Officer tasked to bring the Death Star to full operation in 2016's Rogue One by kidnapping the scientists, making them work under duress by holding their families hostage including Galen Erso (Mads Mikkelsen), the primary mind behind the space station. As one of several figures to return for Andor, Mendelsohn reprised his role for season two as the Diego Luna-starred series serves as a direct lead into the Gareth Edwards film. The star of AppleTV+'s New Look and Freaky Tales (2024) spoke with Variety about answering creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy's call about returning to the Star Wars franchise.

Andor: Ben Mendelsohn on Why Series Reminds Him of 'Michael Clayton' as "High-Concept" Series

Mendelsohn recalled when Gilroy gave him a call, "Quite a while ago, not that long after the first season. Tony just said, 'Would you be amenable to coming back and just doing a few scenes?' To which I was like, 'Fuck yeah, absolutely.' 'Michael Clayton' is somewhere in my 25 most-loved films of all time. And Krennic and the whole 'Star Wars' experience was a really good one for me. But I had no idea how good it was going to be. It's taken me by joyous surprise."

The actor revealed he'd seen season one about the mercenary-turned-freedom fighter. Upon his initial reaction to season one, "Oh, well, 'Andor' is such a brilliantly crafted and mature take on that universe," he said. "When these super brains decide to tackle one of the genres, like a horror genre or a science fiction genre, they just bring so much to it. The Gilroys as a family are able to do high-concept stuff in a way that is really digestible and fun." Mendelsohn also broke down the heavily-guarded nature of the series, a process he's likely all too familiar with, given his work in Disney's other major IP in Marvel.

"Tony laid out the concept, his historical parallels, etc, etc. Then it was one of those things where you really only get your scenes. And then — [long, deep laugh] — then you try and slot it in as best as you can," Mendelsohn said, comparing the experience to "doing your piece of the jigsaw puzzle." As far as where Krennic's mindset is, "When we see him in 'Rogue One,' we see him at the pinnacle of his achievement, but we also see him at the time when the other marshals of the Empire are going, 'That looks pretty good. I think perhaps that's actually my department now.' So he's a lot more animated by that, you know, and obviously the great secret being that Galen Erso is the creator of the Death Star. Although I will never let go of the idea that I built the Death Star. It's just it's too good of a line."

For more on Mendelsohn breaking down Krennic's attitude in Andor, breaking down his scenes in episodes one and six, and that intense spy-thriller scene with the listening device, and more, you can check out the entire interview. Andor streams Tuesdays in three-episode blocks on Disney+.

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