Andy Serkis almost never returned to Star Wars – here’s why

When we talk about the sequel trilogy, the list of failures and disappointments never seems to end. From inconsistent storytelling to some of the most hated characters in the canon, many would agree this trilogy is the black sheep of the Star Wars Saga. One of the more disappointing character arcs we saw was that of Supreme Leader Snoke played by world-renowned actor, Andy Serkis.

Because Snoke’s story was evidently stopped short, there was a lot of lore and theories regarding his purpose, origins, and overall identity. Serkis mentioned in the interview that he was kept in the dark about Snoke’s backstory and was never told that he initially was created by Palpatine as it was revealed in Rise of Skywalker

It was very much under wraps. Very much under wraps. I had an inkling, but it was not confirmed.”  Serkis said in a recent interview according to Movieweb.com.

Serkis was seemingly agitated with where the Snoke character went but would be given another opportunity by Lucasfilm several years later. This time, to play a cold-hearted, conflicted prison supervisor named Kino Loy in the Disney+ mini-series, Andor. Serkis Ultimately took up this role, and his performance was highly acclaimed. However, Serkis didn’t make the decision to return with ease.

“There was such confusion about Snoke and Snoke theories, I just thought people are going to flip out and wonder what the hell is going on and assume there’s some sort of link there,”  said Serkis according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Serkis went on to tell The Hollywood Reporter why he ultimately decided to sign on for Andor. Showrunner Tony Gilroy was able to persuade Serkis to accept the role after looking at the script and where Kino Loy’s character would take the story.

Even though Andor was a completely separate project from the sequel trilogy that had no correlation with Supreme Leader Snoke, Serkis ultimately saw this as a redemption opportunity. He felt that because Snoke was a CGI character, this was an opportunity to showcase his real physical self for the first time in Star Wars.  Though he noted he hasn’t had an issue with any CGI characters he’s done in the past.

Loy’s backstory was also designed by Serkis which ultimately ended up being his motive for his overall character arc in the series. Loy’s story ended up spanning over three of the twelve-episode season. It was seen as a compelling story that many don’t want to end just yet.

While Serkis doesn’t need the career booster at this point in his life, Andor is currently scheduled to be renewed and many people would love to see Serkis reprise his role as Loy.

We don’t see what happens to Loy after the show’s prison break scene, and many wonder whether he made it out either alive or at all. Regardless, Andor season two is a long way away as of right now and it’s hard to speculate where the story may take us.