Diego Luna talks Andor: "You’re not going to believe that he's capable of what he does in Rogue One"

Rogue One was the first anthology film in a galactic franchise ripe for further exploration. Gareth Edward’s epic told the story of a small group of Rebels that defied an Empire and stole the plans for the enemy’s ultimate weapon, the Death Star. Now comes the spin-off to the spin-off, a Disney Plus series that delves into the origins of Diego Luna’s break-out character, Cassian Andor.

Spoiler alert: Rogue One concludes with Cassian sacrificing himself to make sure the Death Star plans are safely delivered to Princess Leia. The upcoming series, however, starts five years prior to that, with Cassian "as far as you can imagine away" from being a hero. 

"I had already answered many of the questions that the show answers myself, for my process as an actor for Rogue One," Luna tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine, featuring Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on the cover. "Now, I had the chance to explore that with [showrunner] Tony [Gilroy], who’s an amazing collaborator and beautiful writer."

Luna points to a moment in Rogue One where Cassian tells Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso with a ferocious conviction that he’s "been in this fight since I was six years old."

"That talks about a wounded man," he says. "We find him in a place where he’s not aware of how capable he is of transforming or being part of change or executing such a sacrifice, but he is the man that comes out from fighting since he was six years old. He's a very interesting, dark, wounded person. You’re not going to believe that he's capable of what he does in Rogue One."

• Subscribe to Total Film and never miss another exclusive

Read more from the cast and crew behind Andor in the new issue of Total Film, featuring our huge TV preview on The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, House of the Dragon, Andor, The Mandalorian season 3, and so much more. 

The magazine reaches shelves on July 26 and will be available to order through this link. Or subscribe and never miss an issue again and receive magazines with exclusive cover images and insider secrets. Andor arrives on Disney Plus August 31.