Is there a second within the present that for you was the coldest, the iciest? You talked about caring about being too sentimental or being too gentle at instances. But have been there moments the place you have been like, “I don’t know…this might be too dark”?
Too darkish… Bringing these uncooked recruits into Ghorman as cannon fodder, I bear in mind Danny [Gilroy, his brother and fellow writer on Andor] referred to as me up with that concept. [The Empire] provides them up as goal observe to begin the bloodbath. It’s a fairly unhappy concept.
They are simply younger boys, virtually. Clearly, they don’t know they’re being marched to their deaths for a publicity stunt. It challenges the viewer to really feel sympathy for any individual within the Empire.
Hell yeah.
In that sequence, the Empire primarily stokes a violent response from the Ghorman individuals to justify crushing them and seizing the planet. That’s one other vital concept for the rebellion-minded: When you imagine strongly in one thing, it’s simple to be led right into a lure by that keenness. You should be good and step fastidiously when you’re participating in resistance.
That’s occurred so many instances earlier than. “We need rebels that you can count on to do the wrong thing when you want it.” I imply, that’s occurred. It goes again earlier than Caesar. It in all probability goes again to the primary friggin’ campfire. That’s a tried-and-true approach.
Even earlier than she was Lucasfilm’s president, you labored with Kathleen Kennedy for years on the Bourne motion pictures. Everybody is looking Andor probably the most grown-up Star Wars story instructed to date. Can you describe her function on this?
Well, she type of snuck me into this factor.
She trapped you?
[Laughs] Yeah, she type of seduced me into it. There was a time frame the place I actually wished the present to die and I wished to get out of it. When COVID got here, I believed, Oh, thank God. COVID will kill the present, and I received’t should do it. So there was an extended time frame the place I used to be like, I can’t imagine she received me into this.
Why did you need it to die?
Because we had scripts going, and I used to be going to direct a bunch of episodes, and we have been in London—we have been casting—and I used to be simply completely naive about what it could take to make the present. I actually didn’t know what I used to be doing in any respect, by way of the scope of labor. So when COVID got here, it was like, Oh, you understand what? That’s an indication from God, no present. But the irony is that in that spell, we actually found out how to make it. We found out a system to do it and received sufficient of a reset and a deep breath.
How did Kennedy assist with that?
She has protected the present and guarded me and wrangled a crew collectively. When we began difficult Kathy, Kathy simply stored saying sure. “Oh, I’m going to put the first scene in a brothel.” “Okay.” “I’m going to have them kill two cops.” “Okay.” “We want the production designer from Chernobyl.” “Okay, good idea.” She backed our play and received the whole lot that we have been doing. We’ve been via the whole lot, she and I, on this—all the nice and all of the unhealthy. There’s no present with out her. For all of the shit that she takes on-line, it’s simply insane. This present exists as a result of she compelled it to occur. What a troublesome job she has, man.
Has George Lucas seen Andor?
I don’t know. Not even rumorwise. I’ve solely spoken to him as soon as, after Rogue One. I spoke to him on the cellphone. He was congratulating us. But no, I’ve by no means met him, and I’ve by no means talked to him about it. I don’t know.
You’ve mentioned your tour in Star Wars is over for now. What’s subsequent for you?
I’m attempting to get a film off with Oscar Isaac, a film about film music. It’s set in LA, so I’m following the tax credit score factor very fastidiously. Money’s tight. But it’s a film that I actually need to make. A extremely attention-grabbing, cool concept. And I’d be directing. We have the whole lot able to go. We’re simply attempting to get to the quantity, you understand?
This interview has been edited and condensed, with some additions for context and readability.