Meet 'Andor's' Imperial Officers Kyle Soller and Denise Gough
- Details
- Category: Interviews
- Created: Saturday, 17 September 2022 14:46
- Published: Saturday, 17 September 2022 15:59
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Star Wars: Andor, the prequel to ROGUE ONE, sets the stage for the rise of the Rebellion. The Diego Luna-led Disney+ series follows Cassian Andor’s recruitment into the fight against the Empire. Meet two of his Imperial foes, Denise Gough and Kyle Soller, the ambitious officers looking to suppress the rebel fighters
The rebellion against the Empire has always been the center of STAR WARS mythology. Disney+’s 12-episode series sets the groundwork for the fight by following Cassian Andor’s (Luna) journey to the burgeoning rebellion. Andor will introduce viewers to the founding rebels, and how people and the planets became involved. Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Fiona Shaw also star with Luna who is an executive producer. Showrunner Tony Gilroy (ROGUE ONE) created and wrote the 24-episode series which will span two seasons.
Denise Gough and Kyle Soller join the cast as Imperial officers looking to make a name for themselves in the ISB. Kyle Soller (101 Dalmation Street, Brexit) plays Syril Karn, a low-level officer, and Denise Gough (Under the Banner of Heaven) is Dedra Meero, a high-ranking agent. The two actors introduce us to their characters who have something in common.
Gough’s Dedra Meero will lead the Imperial forces on the desert world of Ferrix against Cassian and the rebels. The ISB supervisor warns of the rise of an uprising but she is not taken seriously. The actor best describes Meera’s uphill battle at the workplace.
“When we meet her, she’s kind of on the low end of the ladder and she’s incredibly ambitious and meticulous and what I love about playing her is that you know she’s in this very male-dominated world and she’s seeing around her the way that people are missing what she can see is happening,’ she said at a press conference for the series. “We’ve been talking a lot about this today both about Dedra and Syril and how they come into this world. They’re sort of outsiders within the Imperial and within the ISB. She’s clawing her way up the ladder and I love portraying the effect of power just has on a person like the danger of that pursuit of power and control regardless of gender. I mean I do kind of love that you are thinking ‘you go girl" and then you remember she’s in a fascist organization. I’m getting a real thrill being able to play her.”
Soller is in a similar situation as a young officer not being taken seriously but his Syril Karn may not be as dedicated as Meero. He hints that his character may be changing allegiance.
“What attracted me to the role was Tony’s writing. He created a character that was really three-dimensional and had a big question mark over him. You know he could go either way. He could go into the Empire. He could go into the rebel alliance. And he’s got a lot of gray areas and he came from a place with such lack in such pain in his home life that he’s trying to fill this void within himself through the fascist corporate bureaucratic structure where he finds order and he finds a place to be seen if he can supersede his station and climb those ranks. And really what Tony created in having a character that wasn’t really sure about himself was what made it most fun to play.”
Will the characters succeed in their career goals and quash the rebellion? Well, we know how that turned out. Catch the 12-episode series on Disney+ starting with the first three episodes on September 21.
Creator/Showrunner: Tony Gilroy
Directed by: Toby Haynes (Episodes 1, 2, 3, 8, 9,10)
Susanna White (Episodes 4, 5, 6)
Benjamin Caron (Episodes 7, 11,12)
Writers: Tony Gilroy (Episodes 1,2, 3,11,12)
Dan Gilroy (Episodes 4, 5, 6),
Stephen Schiff (Episode 7)
Beau Willimon (Episodes 8, 9,10)
Executive Producers: Kathleen Kennedy, Tony Gilroy, Sanne Wohlenberg, Diego Luna, Michelle Rejwan