Mon Mothma actor Genevieve O'Reilly talks that secret meeting with Stellan Skarsgård in Andor episode 4

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Andor episode 4! Turn back now if you haven't seen the latest episode on Disney Plus! 

Before Mon Mothma was leader of the Rebellion, she was a Senator living a top secret, highly dangerous double life on Coruscant, the capital planet of the Empire. She's not alone, though – conspiring with her is Stellan Skarsgård's Luthen Rael, who hides in plain sight as an antiques dealer while working against the Empire behind the scenes. 

In Andor episode 4, Mon and Luthen meet in the antiques gallery and conduct a covert meeting about their rebellious activities, all while Mon's driver is distracted just metres away. Out in public, they're all smiles, but in the backroom, things get very serious. Total Film sat down with Mon Mothma actor Genevieve O'Reilly and discussed that hidden conversation.  

"What's so wonderful about that scene is that it exposes the very different faces of both characters, the public face and the private face," O'Reilly shares. "What was wonderful was to play within that environment. The set that Luke [Hull], our designer, created – which is just stunning – also mirrored that public space and private space. So Stellan and I just had a joy playing that scene, wrestling the public, the private.

"And then within that, of course, is what we will reveal to each other. If we reveal, or what we reveal, not only within the public sphere, where there are other people listening, but even when we're together. What will we give away about each other? So there are layers to secrecy. There are layers to what you divulge. And there are layers to what you protect."

See our Andor release schedule to find out when the next episode arrives on Disney Plus – and in the meantime, see the rest of our interviews with the cast and showrunner Tony Gilroy, as well as Gilroy on Andor season 2 and episode 1's shocking opening scene, Fiona Shaw on playing Maarva, and Denise Gough on playing a female Imperial and her workplace rivalry.