Andy Serkis, who starred in The Lord of the Rings is no stranger to Star Wars. In the sequel trilogy, he provided the performance capture and vocal work for Supreme Leader Snoke, but it’s safe to assume that position is now being superseded by his surprising appearance in Andor’s eighth episode. Serkis portrays the ethically confused prison work foreman Kino Loy, who must decide whether to take part in Cassian Andor’s escape scheme or peacefully serve out the remainder of his sentence.
Loy has sided with Cassian as a result of last week’s revelations regarding the jail’s true nature, and we’re really hoping he survives tomorrow’s prison break episode. Though we’re hopeful the Andor character stays around to join the Rebellion, Serkis recently emphasised that, contrary to the typical fan theories, Kino Loy and Snoke have nothing to do with one another. People like Kino Loy who can get things done and have people management skills are needed in the struggle against the Empire.
Serkis discussed his comeback to Star Wars and his admiration for Tony Gilroy’s Rogue One in an interview with Collider. He said, “I was a huge fan of Rogue One, and that was what made me want to come back into the universe, despite the fact I knew it was going to cause a huge amount of speculation, and going through the whole of this thing again. I just didn’t want to be part of making people’s lives more complicated than they already are, to work out what I was doing and coming back into.”
He further explained, “But as soon as I talked to Tony Gilro and as I say, I was such a big fan of Rogue One, and we talked about the part. I love the world that he creates, the everyman kind of aspect of the film of Rogue One, and then as you say, the gray areas, the complexities of all of the characters that go into this amazing, amazing odyssey. And not least of course, working with Diego and who’s just phenomenal, but such a great cast of actors. And every single character, rich, beautifully drawn, extraordinarily kind of complex. It was just a treat to come back into it.”