Andy Serkis Was Worried Star Wars Fans Would Connect Snoke and Kino Loy
42Prior to the Narkina 5 arc in Tony Gilroy's critically acclaimed Andor, Star Wars fans only knew Andy Serkis for his memorable motion-capture performance as the sinister Supreme Leader Snoke in the first two films in the Sequel Trilogy. Serkis is a legend when it comes to performances where audiences can't see his face, particularly as Smeagol in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and as Caesar in the recent Planet of the Apes films. While he has had plenty of face time in films like The Batman and Luther: The Fallen Sun, there is something about his performance as Kino Loy in Andor that sets the role apart from the rest.
At Collider's screening of the Narkina 5 arc at the Disney Studios lot earlier this month, Steve Weintraub asked Serkis about when he realized Andor was going to be something special. In turn, Serkis discussed his relationship with Star Wars and what he thought about the journey from Snoke to Kino Loy. Specifically, Serkis spoke about his initial concern about the connections Star Wars fans might attempt to make between the two characters, explaining:
"Actually, when I was approached, I was quite trepidacious because I was thinking, there were so many Snoke theories over the years that I'd had to duck and dive and avoid, and then I just thought, 'Oh no, this is gonna be a nightmare because people are gonna think Kino Loy is somehow associated with Snoke, and I'm gonna have to talk around the houses.'
If there were any fans speculating that there was some connection between Snoke and Kino, it would seem like it's time to tuck that away with the rest of your Snoke theories. At the end of the day, the two are distinctly different characters, which happen to be played by the same incredible actor. Snoke was designed as a predatory figure to torment young Ben Solo (Adam Driver), while Kino Loy was carefully constructed by Gilroy to push Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) into action and stand as a testament to the human spirit.
He went on to explain that Tony Gilroy's description of the character and the arc was what eventually won him over, with Serkis praising the way Gilroy has constructed the characters in the series. Serkis went on to say, "With every single character in Andor there is such depth and humanity, and they are flawed, and the way that Cassian weaves his way through this incredible heroic journey through kind of experiencing all of these extraordinary characters."
At the top of the conversation, Serkis spoke about when Gilroy approached him about the series and how he knew then that it was going to be something special, saying, "Oh, pretty much when I first talked to Tony about getting involved in it. I mean, he was so passionate about it. I was such a massive fan of Rogue One, it was such a great film, and, you know, having had the opportunity to have seen Star Wars from a particular perspective on the dark side." He went on to say:
"The way Tony explained the arc that I was going to be involved in, you know, I just instantly had an enormous respect for [him]. I mean, I've always respected him as a writer-director, but just his integrity in terms of being authentic and knowing what he wants to say, and to use this platform, and to use this world and universe to say such important things about the human condition. To me, it really just took me in, and it's exactly the sort of filmmaking or storytelling that I like to be involved in."
Stay tuned for our full interview with Serkis and Andor's executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg.
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