Star Wars: Diego Luna calls Andor’s story ‘the journey of a migrant’
By Meg Dowell
On the surface, Cassian Andor may seem like a character who doesn’t “need” more of his backstory told. But we have plenty of conversations in the Star Wars fandom about the need for representation — which, in terms of the big picture, simply means everyone should get the chance to see their very real stories play out on-screen. It looks like this may be happening with Disney+’s Andor series, which will focus heavily on the journey of a refugee.
This week’s eye-opening Vanity Fair story dove deep into the future of Star Wars as a franchise, especially its refined focus on television with Disney+ as a streaming platform. Portions of the story touched on Andor and one of its lead actors, Diego Luna, who has a personal connection to his character’s story.
According to the article, the story of Andor begins with the destruction of the title character’s home planet (presumably at the hands of the Empire — they’re kind of into that). Cassian is just a child at the time, and at the loss of his homeworld, is forced to find refuge elsewhere.
“His adopted home will become the base of our whole first season,” showrunner Tony Gilroy told Vanity Fair, “and we watch that place become radicalized.”
In real life, Luna is a longtime supporter of the UN Refugee Agency, and resonated with Cassian’s story from the very beginning. He cites it as one of the main elements of the character that brought him back to Star Wars.
Related Story. Star Wars: Andor and Mandolorian Season 3 could both premiere this year. light
“It’s the journey of a migrant,” he said. “That feeling of having to move is behind this story, very profoundly and very strong. That shapes you as a person. It defines you in many ways, and what you are willing to do.”
Throughout Star Wars storytelling, many characters have fled from their homes to escape the Galactic Empire’s ongoing tyranny. Luna’s passion for this character’s story means refugees from all over the world might get to see their experiences told through the lens of Star Wars — and that’s pretty cool.
Star Wars: Andor will star Diego Luna and is expected to arrive on Disney+ sometime late in the summer of 2022.
Next. Maybe it's a good thing Andor might have fewer seasons. dark
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