Filming Andor Was An 'Unforgiving' Experience For Andy Serkis
When "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" first arrived in theaters in 2016, words like "grounded" and "unprecedented" were thrown around to describe a franchise feature that actually bothered to tell the epic struggle of the Galactic Civil War from the perspective of the little guy. But for all the talk about a movie bringing something genuinely new and never-before-seen to this beloved property, we still ended up receiving all the usual tropes of the trade: Skywalkers, lightsabers, and fan-service galore.
And then "Andor" debuted on Disney+ streaming, serving as both a spin-off and prequel to "Rogue One" by detailing the origins of both Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the Rebellion as a whole. But most refreshingly of all, the Tony Gilroy-created series made good on its predecessor's word and truly gave us the boots-on-the-ground story we needed. Finally, here were the disposable spies, uncelebrated heroes, and anonymous double agents whose work to undermine the authoritarian Empire in service of a greater cause would never achieve a fraction of the fame surrounding the Skywalker family saga.
One of the most significant of those unsung figures would have to be Andy Serkis' Kino Loy, the prisoner-turned-freedom fighter who gave Andor and their fellow inmates a chance to escape their dystopian prison. As punishing of an ordeal as this was for the character, however, Serkis' experience filming on the set of Narkina 5 turned out to have an eerily similar effect on the actor, as well — one that he called "unforgiving."
'It really played with your head'
Among the many highlights of the series, "Andor" gave us one of the franchise's most horrifying and uncomfortably real locations that we've ever seen in "Star Wars." The prison complex on Narkina 5 functioned as the key location for a potent stretch of episodes in the first season, bolstered by some incredibly evocative set design and sobering, grown-up storytelling. But as visceral as it felt to simply watch these episodes, it's easy to imagine that the cast and crew felt that pressure even more acutely while on set. For Andy Serkis, who's no stranger to the "Star Wars" franchise, playing the part of Kino Loy ended up bluring the lines between reality and fiction more than he may have thought.
In an interview with StarWars.com published after the prison storyline came to a close, the actor gave his insights on the harsh realities of playing a prisoner on a stunningly realistic set:
"The actual shooting of it was really hard because of the environment. The set was so unforgiving. The prison outfits just so unforgiving. And the whole notion of walking around on metal plates with bare feet does a very strange thing to your head. It completely sapped you of any strength. There was no personal space at all. Everything was clinical. You could see there was no relief from it and it really played with your head."
As the pioneer of motion-capture performance, Serkis is obviously used to acting in some of the most grueling circumstances imaginable, but "Andor" seems to have reached another level entirely — psychologically, as opposed to strictly physically. That certainly seems to have helped the performer dig down deep to achieve one of the best performances in recent "Star Wars" memory.
"Andor" is currently streaming on Disney+.