Andy Serkis, the Lord of the Rings star and motion-capture veteran who plays Kino Loy on the hit new Disney Plus series Star Wars: Andor, just revealed that he came up with his own backstory for the character. Fans were understandably excited when they first saw the beloved actor show up as one of the inmates in the Narkina 5 prison, so learning that he actually played a role in developing the character himself should only further enhance that enjoyment.
Star Wars: Andor episode 8 saw Serkis debut as Kino Loy, a high-ranking prisoner (or however is best to describe his situation) in charge of his floor of the Imperial prison factory. When Diego Luna's Cassian Andor showed up at the prison, still reeling from getting a 6-year sentence for a minor infraction that he didn't even do, Kino's way of running the operation was just one of many overwhelming things thrown at him all at once. Serkis' performance certainly helped with that, and it turns out that he really immersed himself in the Star Wars character.
"I created this backstory for Kino Loy," Serkis explained in an interview with Collider, "which was that he was like a kind of shop steward in a former life, and he has a family... He would have fought for workers' rights on the outside before he was incarcerated. But he would have been seen as a troublemaker for that. So when he was incarcerated, he then almost sheds any desire to look out for other people apart from himself. Just do his time and get out. To try and get out and just survive the sentence, the torture, the desensitization. I think it was that desensitization that made me perhaps have that slightly lost but kind of hardened and toughened shell."
Fans of the creatively-influenced Andor series might find this surprising since they're introduced to Kino as this gruff and seemingly insensitive floor leader without any real lead-in. That intensity makes it all the more poignant when audiences get to see him slowly wear down over the next episode as he grows accustomed to Cassian and begins to realize his hope of being released may not be as sure a thing as he thought. That backstory from Serkis only strengthens that character development, giving viewers an inside look at not only what he lost, but what he still has to lose.
Andor has been a surprisingly excellent addition to the Star Wars universe, with many considering it one of the best things to come out of the franchise since Rian Johnson's still fantastic The Last Jedi. Others say it's even better than that. Showrunner Tony Gilroy's much more serious approach to the Star Wars formula is a big part of that. But other elements like Serkis' self-imposed backstory also come together to really elevate Andor to levels previously thought unattainable.
With an already-established plan for only 2 seasons, Andor has the makings of a short-lived masterpiece, and it will certainly be one worth coming back to time and time again. Here's hoping future projects take inspiration from the strides this show has taken.
Star Wars: Andor drops new episodes Wednesdays on Disney Plus.
Source: Collider