Andor creator explains why a significant Star Wars prequel character was recast: "We tried really hard, but he wasn't available"

Andor has never been a show about flashy cameos or Star Wars fan service in a galaxy far, far away. Even so, a familiar face showed up in Andor season 2, episode 6 – but he was portrayed by a different actor due to scheduling conflicts.

As creator Tony Gilroy told Entertainment Weekly, the role of Bail Organa didn't go to Jimmy Smits (who had played the Senator in Attack of the Clones, Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and Obi-Wan Kenobi) but, instead, Benjamin Bratt.

"The scheduling didn’t work out. We really tried hard, but he wasn't available and couldn't make it," Gilroy explained of Smits' absence.

Gilroy added, "Bringing back legacy characters is really complicated. t'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."

Thankfully, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy stepped in and suggested Bratt (Coco, Law and Order) as the replacement for Smits.

"It was just a brilliant idea," Gilroy said. "He’s a wonderful human being and really eager and beloved on set and really happy about what he does."

Fittingly for such a politically-charged show, Gilroy even thought two steps ahead when it came to Bail Organa's recasting. Predicting it would (rightly) draw some attention from long-term fans, he opted to quickly slide a quick appearance from the Senator outside of a party with Mon Mothma (Genevieve O'Reilly) in this week's batch of episodes so the audience could get the distraction "out of their system."

Gilroy explained: "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."

Andor season 2 is currently streaming on Disney Plus.

For more, check out the Andor season 2 release schedule and a deeper dive into who is playing Bail Organa in Andor season 2, or see our Andor season 2 review for our spoiler-free verdict on the whole show.