You're Not Jimmy! Tony Gilroy Explains 'Andor' Recasting

Star Wars

May 9

Bail Organa in Andor — Image Source: Cinemablend

A familiar character debuted in this week’s Star Wars: Andor arc. While Senator Mon Mothma and Perrin are en route to a party, they encounter Bail Organa, who fans will remember as Leia’s adopted father. However, the original actor, Jimmy Smits, was unavailable, so Benjamin Bratt portrayed the character. Andor creator Tony Gilroy explained the situation. He said, “Bringing back legacy characters is really complicated. It's very expensive. It's very, who's working when. A lot of effort went into it, but we just couldn't work it out scheduling wise.” Smits originated the role in Attack of the Clones and reprised it in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, as well as voicing the character in the video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

While Bail Organa’s role amounted to little more than a cameo for this week’s episodes, Gilroy confirmed he will have more to do when the second season finale airs next week. Gilroy explained, “It's one of those situations where I want to do something simple. We don't do many things that are unnecessary, but it's like, ‘Let's get him in here now so people can discuss it for a week and get it out of their system and then he can come back to really work.’ I didn’t want the guy's work to be confused with his introduction.” Gilroy was ready to drop the plot point when he couldn’t secure Smits in the role, but Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy suggested Bratt for the role. Viewers will have the chance to see what Bratt does with the role when the finale drops on Disney+ on May 13.