'Andor' Creator Tony Gilroy Explains Recasting Bail Organa To Benjamin Bratt

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As Andor heads toward its final three-episode pod of its second and final season this Tuesday on Disney+, many are talking about the Star Wars series’s final speech in the Imperial Senate chamber regarding genocide delivered by Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma. However, while I do hope to get to that, I’m still a bit hung up on an appearance made the week prior. Mothma and her husband Perrin, played by Alastair Mackenzie were on their way to a party in episode 6 when they saw a familiar face. At least, a familiar face in unexpected circumstances unfamiliar to the role. Bail Organa, played in all four previous live-action project appearances by NYPD Blue and The West Wing star Jimmy Smits, including one set after this series, had been recast.

In what amounted to a cameo, at least for that second pod of episodes, the character, a Senator in the age of the Republic and the adopted father of Leia, was played by Clear and Present Danger and Coco star Benjamin Bratt. Creator Tony Gilroy explained, “We couldn't work it out. The scheduling didn’t work out. We really tried hard, but he wasn't available and couldn't make it. Bringing back legacy characters is really complicated. It's very expensive. It's very, who's working when. A lot of effort went into it, but we just couldn't work it out scheduling wise.” Smits’s appearances were in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, as well as the Obi-Wan Kenobi miniseries in 2022. However, inbetween lies the most pertinent appearance: 2016’s Rogue One, the film Andor is leading directly up to. This scene in particular is a just a couple years away from the events of the film, which means whenever Bratt is off screen he's turning back into Smits.

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According to Gilroy, it was Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy’s idea for the recast. “It was just a brilliant idea. He’s a wonderful human being and really eager and beloved on set and really happy about what he does.” He also says the cameo was to get all the uproar out of the way before his bigger part in the story: “I put him in episode 6 in an arbitrary way so people will get the conversation out of the way until the next week when he really starts to work.” He continues, “It's one of those situations where I want to do something simple. We don't do many things that are unnecessary, but it's like, ‘Let's get him in here now so people can discuss it for a week and get it out of their system and then he can come back to really work.’ I didn’t want the guy's work to be confused with his introduction.” Ultimately, Bail chooses to stay behind on Coruscant as Mon Mothma manages to escape after being made enemy of the state following her condemnation of the Emperor.

While the third pod did end up giving Bratt’s Organa more screentime, the initial cameo actually reminded me of an unusual casting quirk that I found to be quite similar. Helen DuBois was introduced as manager of The Premiere movie theater in the ninth episode of the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, “Movie Job”, played by Yvette Nicole Brown. However, her second appearance just a few episodes later, “Little Diva” had the character played by a different actress, Frances Callier. It’s said to be that the recast was in lieu of introducing a new character, and Brown’s commitments to The Big House, a Kevin Hart sitcom that only lasted six episodes. That was over by the time Helen was being written into a third episode so Brown resumed the role and played her there and for the rest of the series. A small blip of looking slightly different in the grand scheme.

On Star Wars Day, Bratt celebrated with a grateful post on Instagram saying May the Fourth be with you!💫

Listen, this is a childhood dream fulfilled. I’m honored to be playing Senator Bail Organa in andorofficial, joining a a galaxy of stars and artists who have created some of the most compelling drama on TV. Many thanks to #Tony Gilroy and #KathleenKennedy for the opportunity, and a tip of the cap to the irreplaceable officialjimmysmits, who’s talent and grace will always be linked to the senator from Alderaan, forever shining bright within the Star Wars firmament. More to come!andorofficial is streaming now on disneyplus”.

Andor’s final three-episode pod releases on Disney+ on Tuesday, May 13 at 9 PM Eastern. It stars Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, O’Reilly as Mothma, Denise Gough as Imperial Security Bureau strategic supervisor Dedra Meero, Kyle Soller as Deputy Inspector Syril Karn, Adria Arjona as Andor’s recently-confessed love Biz Caleen, Faye Marsay as Rebel leader and Mothma cousin Vel Sartha, Elizabeth Dulau as Luthen’s assistant Kleya Marki, and Alan Tudyk as his Rogue One droid K2SO.

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Source: Entertainment Weekly