“He’s written a cast of brilliant women”: Genevieve O'Reilly on Andor creator Tony Gilroy

Mon Mothma is one of the more influential people in Star Wars Universe, who leads a double life as a politician in the Imperial Senate and secretly works with the resistance movement against the Galactic Empire. Mon Mothma is portrayed by Genevieve O'Reilly in Lucasfilm Disney+ hit series Andor. O’Reilly shares that Tony Gilroy, creator and showrunner of Andor, has written an array of nuanced characters, especially women.

While speaking to CBR at the recent Star Wars Celebration in Tokyo, O'Reilly shared,

“I have to bring up Tony (Gilroy) here, because he’s written a cast of brilliant women…There are many of us in this show, both in Season 1 and Season 2, so what that allows us to do, is not just to play the woman. We get to be the women.”

O'Reilly has portrayed the role of Mon Mothma in the movies Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, as well as Disney series Ahsoka and Andor. She continued,

“Mon Mothma has many hats in this show. She’s a mother, she’s a wife, she’s a senator, she’s a threat, she’s an ally. She’s many things, and I think because there are so many of us, each of us get to be our own textured woman, which is, I mean, that’s what we need to see. That’s what makes the show great. That’s what makes…just, everybody is a person.”

Star Wars spinoff-series Andor is created by Tony Gilroy. The series follows the story of Cassian Andor (played by Diego Luna), a rebel operative who is leading an uprising against the Empire along with the allies. The show is a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016). Season 2 of Andor premiered on April 22, 2025, on Disney+.

Who is Mon Mothma in Andor?

Mon Mothma is a politician from Chandrila, who advocates for democracy in the galaxy. She uses politics and her family wealth to fund the underground resistance movement working against the Galactic Empire. She leads a double life in Andor, where she is still establishing ways to take down the Empire from within.

Mon Mothma is one of the key figures in the rebel movement against the Empire. In Andor Season 1, we find her in hot waters when it is revealed that the Imperial auditors are looking into her financial dealings.

While speaking about her character to The Wrap, O’Reilly said,

“…I think she’s been written for in a way that she’s never been written for before. And I get to play that. I mean, it’s been a real gift for me to get to wrestle her, to get to know her, to get to discover her, to get to some real specifics of who the woman is.”

Andor Season 2 is now streaming on Disney+

ALSO READ: One of Star Wars' most hated villains is back for Andor Season 2, and you might want to hate him further

Trending

For more stories on shows, follow SoapCentral.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback