Andy Serkis was worried about stoking Snoke rumors with his Andor role

Before Andor, Andy Serkis appeared in the Star Wars universe, playing Supreme Leader Snoke in the sequel trilogy

By Katie Chow | November 10, 2022 | 5:38pm

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Andy Serkis was worried about stoking Snoke rumors with his Andor role

Andy Serkis Photo: John Phillips

Motion capture king Andy Serkis has notably been a real boy onscreen this year, first in his turn as Alfred in The Batman, and now in three episodes of Andor. However, the Disney+ series isn’t the actor’s first time appearing in the Star Wars universe: he previously appeared as Supreme Leader Snoke in The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi.

Naturally, this prompted speculation that the Lord Of The Rings star would be reprising his previous role, in which he was rendered totally unrecognizable. Serkis is instead introduced as Kino Loy, a prisoner of the Empire who provides one of Andor’s many compelling perspectives on commitment to the rebellion. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the actor opens up about taking on a second role in the franchise.

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“…I thought it would cause complete uproar and more confusion for the audience, thinking that there would be some sort of connection between the Supreme Leader and Kino Loy,” Serkis says. “So that was my only [hang-up]. I thought, ‘Am I really going to go into this melee of uncertainty again?’ but I was such a huge fan of Rogue One. I really truly thought that it was a great film. So Tony Gilroy and I met, and he explained what he wanted to do with this character, this world and this particular segment of the world.”

Andor, which follows Diego Luna’s titular character in the years leading up to Rogue One, has been praised for its grounded stakes and nuanced examination of what it takes to build the resistance.

“So, to play someone at the opposite end of the spectrum as the Supreme Leader and from a very human perspective, someone who’s coping with the Empire crushing his very soul, I just found that idea to be really exciting and really kind of intoxicating,” Serkis continues. “So once I got through the Snoke-theory quagmire, it didn’t take me long to commit.”

Andor is now streaming weekly on Disney+.