'Andor' Featurette — Stellan Skarsgård's Breaks Down Luthen Rael's Double Life (original) (raw)
Published Apr 26, 2024, 1:55 PM EDT
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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.
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Summary
- Luthen Rael's complexity sets Andor apart from other Star Wars properties, portrayed by Stellan Skarsgård in a double life spy role.
- Skarsgård's character is instrumental in Cassian's progression from criminal to rebel, forging a symbiotic relationship with Mon Mothma.
- Andor Season 1 special features dive into nuanced characters like Luthen and touch on real-life issues, a rare find in the streaming age.
Over a year after the season finale of Andor, viewers can get a closer look at its fascinating characters. In a featurette found on the physical release of Season 1, Tony Gilroy and Stellan Skarsgård discuss master spy, Luthen Rael, via X (formerly Twitter). Skarsgård’s character is instrumental in Cassian’s (Diego Luna) progression from a criminal to a rebel who will fight the Empire at any cost. Luthen’s complexity is one of the many elements that separates Andor from other Star Wars properties. Being part of a rebellion takes sacrifice, as Skarsgård portrays in the show.
“[Luthen is] a rebel spymaster in the prime of his career,” the Rogue One scribe explains in the featurette, “keeping himself incredibly low-profile.” The character goes to extreme lengths to keep the rebellion turning. As he forges a symbiotic relationship with Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly), he keeps his own shop as a cover. Skarsgård notes that these extreme lengths to maintain his identity allowed the actor to embark on an unprecedented experience.
“He lives a kind of double life. He actually is two characters, in a way, which makes him a lot of fun to play. You shift in a scene between two characters. I’ve never done that before,” Skarsgård says. In the middle of scenes, Luthen vacillates between his public persona and the spy that is feeding a rebellion. For someone as accomplished as the Dune actor, no one could be better for the role.
‘Andor’ Will Be Released On Blu-ray
This dive into Luthen’s character will be just one featurette on the physical home release of Andor Season 1. Other special features include a closer look at Andy Serkis’ tragic character portrayed in the episode “Narkina 5.” Like many other episodes, it uses sci-fi as a metaphor for real-life issues -- this one being the prison industrial complex. The nuanced series lends well to special features that have become less and less common in the streaming age.
There was a time when fans would be readily awaiting a physical release from one of the most profitable sci-fi franchises of all time. Instead, viewers had to wait a year and a half before adding it to their collection. Andor is an outlier for many modern television series. Disney+ is thankfully allowing it to be released on Blu-ray, unlike other streaming platforms. Thankfully, fans can still purchase Andor Season 1 when it releases on SteelBook on April 30.
Release Date
2022 - 2025-00-00
Network
Disney+
Showrunner
Tony Gilroy
Directors
Susanna White
Writers
Dan Gilroy
Franchise(s)
Star Wars
Prequel series to Star Wars' 'Rogue One'. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero.