Warning: This article contains minor spoilers for Andor seasons 1 and 2.Rogue One characters appear in Andor, all played by their original actors.
As for the original characters, some established A-listers, as well as some up-and-coming or entirely unknown stars, were recruited for Andor. And yet, it feels like everyone is on the same level; they are all delivering performances that can match each other, which makes the character interactions even better. When it is widely agreed that Andor is Star Wars' best TV show, we are blown away by these brilliant actors getting the material they deserve, and in turn, elevating the show’s standout writing.
10 Kyle Soller
As Syril Karn
Syril Karn is an infuriatingly fascinating character study, which might be due to the writing rather than the acting, but Kyle Soller is certainly making the whole thing work with how he portrays all the cringe-worthy moments. By nature, Syril is not meant to inspire or terrify, but this sleeper-hit performance is a mess of insecurity, fanaticism, and naïveté. Then, to top it off, Soller has a series of perfect moments as Syril is horror-stricken by discovering what he has been a part of, but his confusion and rage are more believable than him suddenly pivoting into a redemption arc.
9 Forest Whitaker
As Saw Gerrera
Saw Gerrera doesn't really affect the plot of Andor, but is undoubtedly invaluable to have there to be in conversation with the show’s themes. There isn't really a major, nuanced arc for him, despite revealing some key details about Saw's character. Yet every time he is on-screen, Forest Whitaker is the first-class actor we know him to be and performs wild, chilling moments of Saw's extreme and paranoid worldview. His unhinged monologue in season 2 is meant to show his instability, yet its salient underpinnings tie the character's whole history together.
8 Anton Lesser
As Lio Partagaz
I think at some point during season 2, we all realized what an underrated player Anton Lesser is in this show when he is (understandably) overshadowed by the main cast's powerhouse performances. There is little emotion but overwhelming efficacy in what Partagaz does; he is intelligent and empathetic (towards those who work for him), but his banality and austerity are as intimidating as other Imperials' ion. Partagaz also has the critical thinking skills to realize when he is finished, and Lesser carefully shows his growing fear that they will never be able to quell the Rebellion.
7 Adria Arjona
As Bix Caleen
Adria Arjona has some of the toughest scenes in Andor but proves time and time again that she was a stellar casting choice. Bix has an arc that unfortunately falls into some tired tropes but shows a consistently realistic person dealing with trauma and forming new beliefs. From the beginning, Bix is tough and whip-smart, a black-market-savvy business owner who is steadfastly loyal to her friends and community — a character who walks the line between being grounded in the real world and of the Star Wars universe.
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But Arjona really rises to one of the best performances in season 2, where she shows Bix's softer side as a result of the romance becoming a more prominent storyline, alongside a kind of catharsis in revenge. Arjona amazingly elevates what could be a forgettable ing role by showing how Bix thinks practically but feels deeply and believes in something bigger than her, making statements and decisions that hurt her but are brave in their own way.
6 Elizabeth Dulau
As Kleya Marki
Elizabeth Dulau became something of a delayed breakout star with Andor season 2; she is in season 1 and is wonderful as the cold and tactical second-in-command of a rebel cell. But she got a bigger arc in season 2 that reveals more layers of the character. Subtle details and mannerisms throughout the season hint that Kleya and her mentor are starting to feel what they have created catching up to them psychologically.
Dulau portrays this while still showing that Kleya continues to be a perfect spy, with odd moments of genuine empathy that remind us she is fighting for good. She then shows how the character comes undone at having lost her only family and the life she knew and the terror of the Death Star staring them down before Andor season 2's ending very subtly and powerfully shows that they have not struck her down yet. Dulau came into Star Wars with virtually no on-screen experience and nailed an endlessly complicated and mysterious character.
5 Denise Gough
As Dedra Meero
Supervisor Dedra Meero is driven in a way some might ire until they are reminded of the context. Denise Gough brings Dedra to life as another malicious, calculating character who operates based only on the cold, hard logic of what will be best for her (career). She proves in season 1 that she is smart enough to be a real danger, and remorseless enough to be at home in a horror movie. However, for all of Gough's utterly psychopathic moments, Dedra's weaknesses still peak through.
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She clearly has an ego, which is her undoing. A moment while meeting her boyfriend's mother reveals her own sterile upbringing, illustrating how she is entirely immersed and invested in this system. She is still human, making her evil scarier, as her moments of panic over the carnage aren't enough to stop her. Playing such a nuanced, despicable villain is something Gough does in an unprecedented way.
4 Stellan Skarsgård
As Luthen Rael
Luthen Rael is an absolutely perfect character for Stellan Skarsgård to play, engrossing audiences in season 1 as he flips between a gritty, ruthless rebel leader to his cover persona of a brazen and cheeky antiques dealer. Like Kleya, Luthen is always on guard out of necessity, but an actor like Skarsgård incorporates many smaller choices into his delivery that showcase the stress and the empathy that drives all of Luthen's actions.
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What is required of Skarsgård as an actor doesn't change too much from the first season to the second. However, what he's doing becomes more interesting as people start to pull away, and we are forced to think more about the calculations that lie behind his demeanor. Every time Luthen is on-screen, we see him considering every path and outcome through Skarsgård's sagacious expressions.
3 Andy Serkis
As Kino Loy
Andy Serkis had reservations about returning to Star Wars, but ended up with one of the best characters and delivering one of the best performances in the entire show, despite his short tenure. As Kino Loy, Serkis goes from authoritative to desperate to raging to being in crisis in mere moments. In just a few episodes, he portrays an incredibly compelling story about being resigned to the system to becoming a revolutionary leader, which ends with a stunning, subversive moment of sacrifice.
2 Diego Luna
As Cassian Andor
Cassian is, of course, the centerpiece of the story, and Diego Luna builds upon the already intriguing and intense performance he gave in Rogue One. He spends season 1 showing us how Cassian is already astute, angry, and extremely good in a fight, but with a tragically understandable desire to just get out of dodge. The frustration and transformation Luna plays is better because of the slow burn, and Luna conveys that Cassian always thinks of a move as smart at the time.
But Luna's performance only gets better in season 2, where Cassian himself is shown to be a halfway decent actor while working as a spy. Even as he is committed to the Rebellion, we understand him wanting to get out of it. Throughout this show, Luna is constantly pulling off a balancing act of Cassian being heartbroken as he goes through personal losses, while also being deadly out of necessity in the field, making for a theme that drives the whole story.
1 Genevieve O'Reilly
As Mon Mothma
Andor fleshes out Mon Mothma's character like never before, giving more depth to what it's really like to be the version of her we previously perceived. We knew she was a skilled, comionate leader — but in the Empire, that means fruitlessly pushing for just legislation and being worn down by the ineffectual system. Through a myriad of different moments, Mon is realizing both that Luthen is wrong and Luthen is right; she can't quite reconcile with how far he'll go but does come to understand that diplomacy isn't going to work.
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But the original story of her family is what makes the legacy character so riveting here, and Genevieve O'Reilly pulls no punches. O'Reilly has taken this character so far, showing her acute fear and despair. And yet, all the while, Mon Mothma is an inspiring leader because that's what she needs to be, and she is an excellent, ionate speaker and a shrewd politician. She inspires us in the real world, which is what many characters in Andor are ultimately able to do, in large part because of the true talent playing them.
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