The Best Star Wars Show Is Ending And Its Breakout Star Is Happy To Be Done
Diego Luna, the star of Andor, is happy that the show is ending because filming two seasons back-to-back has taken a toll on his mental health.
One of the most universally loved Star Wars projects of the franchise’s newest iteration has to be the long-awaited Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, chronicling the much-debated theft of the Death Star plans. The film brought a handful of characters into the world of Star Wars that became beloved martyrs of the rebellion, including Cassian Andor, who received a solo series on Disney+, Andor. According to Variety, the second season that is now filming in London will be the last, and star Diego Luna reveals that it is good for his mental health.
According to the actor, the filming of the seasons is filled with long days followed by no breaks and a repeat of the process. That process creates a very demanding schedule that damages his ability to recover and stay mentally healthy. While Diego Luna confesses that the ending of the series is essential to his mental health, knowing this is the last season doesn’t mean he won’t be taking every opportunity to enjoy the moment.
Luna has a career that reaches back all the way to 1994, when he appeared in dozens of Mexican projects near his home in Mexico City, before he landed roles in important projects like Frida alongside Salma Heyak and Open Range with Kevin Costner and Robert Duvall. He started landing roles in larger movies that gained more renown, like Tom Hanks’ Terminal, Sean Penn’s Milk, Mark Wahlberg’s Contraband, and Matt Damon‘s Elysium. Of course, Diego Luna mostly played smaller parts alongside the more prominent names until he landed the role of Cassian Andor in Rogue One.
When we first meet Andor, he is a hardened soldier in the rebellion, where he takes the life of someone he knows and trusts simply because it is what is best for the mission. He then was pulled into the mission to steal the plans for the Death Star when he meets Felicity Jones’ Jyn Erso, where his relationship with the ragtag group of misfits softens his heart and makes him a part of a team, maybe even a family. Of course, the character meets his end on the beach at the end of the film, sacrificing his life along with Jyn in the pursuit of the rebellion’s goals.
The series picks up five years before the events of Rogue One when Diego Luna reprises his Cassian Andor role to tell the story of how a thief becomes a revolutionary and one of the most essential soldiers in the rebellion. The series has been acclaimed as one of the better-written in the new generation of Star Wars projects.
Diego Luna is a talent that the industry needs moving forward, and while we, as fans, are sad to hear that Andor is approaching its end, we can’t help but be happy for the Mexican actor. He has a lot more in his tank, and we would benefit from a wider variety of characters as opposed to more seasons playing Cassian Andor.
