Diego Luna talks about filming ‘Andor’ final season
MEXICO CITY –
Diego Luna has mixed feelings about the approaching end of his Star Wars series ‘Andor’.
“I am very excited during the filming, I feel all the time that we are approaching the end and that is why the process is lived with a certain melancholy,” said the Mexican actor in a recent interview by video call during a break in shoots in Great Great Britain for the second season of the critically acclaimed series.
Luna knew that the series, about a rebel spy introduced to fans in 2016’s “Rogue One,” was meant to last only two seasons. But he is not looking forward to the end.
“There is also an inevitable part of saying how sad it is to leave this team, to leave this dynamic, to leave this time here,” he said.
The show has taken a thriller approach to tell the backstory of Cassian Andor, a thief-turned-spy for the Rebels opposing the brutal Galactic Empire of the original “Star Wars” trilogy.
Luna’s portrayal of Andor’s ethos of survival at all costs has placed him on many shortlists for an Emmy nomination for a Drama Series Actor. If it happens, he would be the first Latino actor to receive an Emmy nomination in the category in nearly 30 years; Puerto Rican star Jimmy Smits was the last actor to compete in the category in 1995 for his role in “NYPD Blue.”
There are other possible contenders: Pedro Pascal for “The Last of Us,” Jenna Ortega for “Wednesday,” and Selena Gomez for the comedy series “Only Murders in the Building.” While Luna is happy to be in the mix, the long drought for Latin American actors is troubling.
“What saddens me is the fact that the last nomination for a Latino actor in this category was so many years ago, it’s very absurd when you know how many interesting stories have been told, how many actors have done memorable jobs,” said he.”But it’s also exciting to know I’m not alone and that makes me think that good things are coming for people who are like me, who are coming from where I come from.”
For now, Luna is focusing on “what’s already happened”, including the positive reception “Andor” has received.
Created and produced by Tony Gilroy, “Andor” has received nominations for awards at the BAFTAs, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards and a host of others. It’s a rare feat for a sci-fi series, which generally doesn’t make it into the major categories at shows like the Emmys.
“There’s a lot of preconceived notions about sci-fi movies one way or another, and some really great things happened with ‘Andor,'” Luna said. “It’s really nice to see that for the team, the people doing this, the people in the industry are celebrating them and the series.”
When asked if there will be more action or if the second season, which arrives in August 2024, will be darker, Luna stressed that the series lives in the middle of both forces.
“It’s the balance that makes this series stick,” he said. “I think if there’s one thing that defines this series, it’s the depth it has in the portrayal of the characters. Because it’s the last season, you have to follow the path of all these characters that you saw in the first, and well, you’ve met a lot of them. they’re not in ‘Rogue One’ and the stories need to be brought to an end.”
