I just finished Andor (aka Star Wars for grown-ups) and was surprised to find that the three main female leads were Irish. They’re each absolutely incredible actors

41 comments

  1. I knew Fiona Shaw was Irish but had no idea about Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) or Dedra (Denise Gough). Their accents and acting were flawless.
    Btw If you haven’t seen it, I can’t recommend Andor enough. 12 episodes set in the SW universe, but it serves mostly as a backdrop. No Jedi/lightsabers/force, just a really solidly written story (same guy who did Bourne) about what it takes to organize a rebellion. Here’s the trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKOegEuCcfw

  5. On The Watch podcast, the writer/director/showrunner (who also did the Amazing movie Michael Clayton and some of the Bourne Movies), described Genevieve O’Reilly as a fine Stradivarius violin and feeling he had to have the writing and story that was good enough for her to be used and that she is a rare type of actor who understands that the challenge is in the silence between lines, not just in the lines. You can really see that in the scene where she is sitting down with the money-lender/criminal, she is fantastic in it.

  8. The acting across the board in that show is exceptional. Stellen Skarsgard was amazing, then (minor spoiler) >!Andy Serkis!< was also great.

    Fiona’s last scene of the season was also just perfect.

  11. I’ve been enjoying Disneys Star Wars series a lot more than the movies, but Andor is on another level.

  12. Very close to being the best show I watched this year. I’d put Severance ahead of it. Had no idea these three were Irish.

  14. Denise Gough (in the middle) is actually the voice of Yennefer of Vengerberg as well for any Witcher 3 game fans out there.

  15. Fun fact Denise Gough was also the Voice actress for Yennefer in Witcher 3!

    But genuinely with Andor I don’t think there’s ever been a tv show that I’ve been so anti-hyped for that ended up thoroughly blowing away my expectations so much so that it might be my favourite programme of the year (that or the Bear).

    It’s still baffles me that on the sets of Obi Wan & Boba Fett everyone seemed to just be drooling to play around with their Star Wars action figures and didn’t care about making something of substance.

    Meanwhile on Andor everyone from actors, production & set designers, musicians and writers all brought their absolute A game for a tv show that even hardcore Star Wars fans were pretty dismissive of before it came out.

  17. What I don’t understand re Star Wars is that since Disney took it over, there’s been a slow introduction of characters with a Scottish accent into the universe(that Kanja Club guy in the Force Awakens, some random guy that rescues Jyn Erso at the start of Rogue One, that boyfriend character in Andor who dies in like the third of fourth episode) but no Irish accented characters.

    And yet as you say, the three main female leads in the show are all Irish. Disney wants Irish talent for Star Wars but no Irish accents in Star Wars.

    Sort it out Disney/Star Wars!

  18. Without giving anything away there was a scene in a later episode featuring Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’reilly) where after an exchange with another character she pulled down the zip/neck fastening on her outfit and exhaled and she suddenly looked about 20 years older as she physically showed the pressure she’s feeling inside for the first time, absolutely fantastic acting.

  22. Denise grew up in Ennis and we would have had mutual friends. It is so cool to see her doing so well and deservedly so.

  24. That must be why the Empire felt like a real empire for once and not a bunch of shrieking cartoon nazis. Smooth, capable, ambitious, bureaucratic, self-satisfied.

  25. No heroes or magic powers, only organisations and collectives. Even Andor is sort of a nobody. Nothing gets done by the individual alone.

  27. Slow to start but enjoyed it by the end. Would love the same tone and reverence given to the Jedi/Sith and classic aspects of Star Wars.

  29. The story of Star Wars is basically a group of rebels trying to defeat the Empire, that is mostly led by gray British men. It is little wonder that the shows strikes such a cord with viewers here.

    As for Andor, I thoroughly enjoyed Rogue One, so I was skeptical when they announce this prequel. I thought Felicity Jones’s character was way more interesting in the movie, so I was unsure why Andor was picked to be the lead of this. And watching it, it made sense, Andor is representative of society. Someone who does not care about a rebellion at first, but he knows there is something wrong with the Empire. It is just difficult to articulate while under the dominion of that system.

    There were a few scenes that reminded me of stuff that went on in the troubles. I’m not sure how intentional the parallels were, maybe the story of the struggle for independence is a universal song that always hits certain notes. Anyway I’m looking forward to the next season, I think it is the best Star Wars series so far, I hope similarly toned ones are made.

  30. Apparently the funeral scene was based on an IRA funeral and the holiday planet location was a part of some seaside resort near Preston in England.

  31. Aye Dedra (Denise Gough) played Portia Coughlan at the Abbey at the start of the year there. She was fuckin brilliant.

  33. Been noticing a lot of lesser known female irish actors in big budget TV shows lately Dominique McElligott in the boys took me by surprise one when i heard her accent slip in an episode.

    Niamh Algar in raised by wolves as well

  38. Why so many surprised to see they are Irish posts on Andor… yeah we got it after the first one. It’s not like it’s any of their first gigs either.

  41. What impressed me was they’re normal appearance, to be clear they’re beautiful women but a young person could imagine themselves achieving what they have, while not being a runway model. Not about a cliched appearance just their massive talent

Leave a Reply