‘Andor’ Creator Tony Gilroy Needed Everyone (Even Seasoned Actors) To Let Go Of Their ‘Star Wars’ Reverence

As Andor continues to rack up rave reviews following its premiere, creator Tony Gilroy is opening up about the filmmaking process for the Star Wars series that takes a markedly different approach to the galaxy than previous streaming entries like The Mandalorian and Obi-Wan Kenobi. According to Gilroy, the trick is capturing a real experience despite the science fiction settings. However, that wasn’t always the easiest task given the mammoth imprint that Star Wars has had on pop culture.

Despite working with seasoned actors, Gilroy noticed right away that performers couldn’t help but change their approach to the material because it’s, well, Star Wars.

“We have this experience all the time,” Gilroy told The Hollywood Reporter. “In every department, we’ve had all kinds of people come in, and they know it’s Star Wars, so they change their behavior. They change their attitude. They change their thing.”

As he explains, it was a bit of process to overcome the Star Wars reverence issue, but he fully appreciates that it speaks to the “power” of the fictional universe:

An actor will come in off a Ken Loach movie or something, they’ll put on a Star Wars [costume], and all of a sudden, this great actor, who auditioned for you and didn’t know what it really was, starts acting differently. And you go, “Wait, no. Do your thing. You’re here because we want you to be real.” So it’s a testament to the potent power of Star Wars. It really gets into people’s heads, but to change the lane and do it this way, it takes a little effort.

Gilroy’s approach appears to be working. Andor is being praised for its detailed writing and lived-in feel that brings a fresh approach to Star Wars that moves away from its space opera/Saturday matinee serial style of storytelling.

The first three episodes of Andor are now streaming on Disney+.