Star Wars: Andor star Benjamin Bratt opens up about portraying Senator Bail Organa on the show. For a piece detailing the Andor cast on the official Star Wars website, Bratt discussed not only his fondness for showrunner Tony Gilroy’s storytelling approach and Bail’s role in the story, but also replacing actor Jimmy Smits in the role. Bratt understood it was his job to honor what Smits had done with the character over the years, ensuring the Alderaan senator continued to display the qualities that make him a fan-favorite figure.
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“I’ve always known Jimmy to be an incredibly talented actor,” Bratt said of Smits. “He possesses elegance, a natural grace, a goodness really, an earnestness that this particular character requires.”
Bratt also opened up on how Bail factors into the narrative, which is what drew him to the part. “We learn that he’s a brilliant strategist and capable of bringing some heat to the degree that it’s needed,” he said. “That’s what excited me and drew me to playing the character.”
Andor Season 2, Episode 6 – “What a Festive Evening” marks Bratt’s first appearance as Bail Organa. He has what’s essentially a cameo, having a brief conversation with Mon Mothma and her husband Perrin Fertha. Seeing him was quite a surprise for fans, as Smits had previously been the only actor to play Bail in live-action. Smits had roles in two installments of the prequel trilogy, as well as Rogue One and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Other Star Wars movie actors reprise their roles on Andor, so the Bail Organa recasting caught people off guard.
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Gilroy has addressed the development, explaining why the role was recast. It boiled down to scheduling issues, as Smits was busy on a different project at the time Andor Season 2 was filming. Lucasfilm couldn’t wait for Smits to become available, so Bratt was brought in to take over. His small role in “What a Festive Evening” was deliberately designed to help acclimate viewers to the recasting before Bail has a larger role in later episodes.
Gilroy had previously mentioned that he wanted to include even more Rogue One characters on Andor (particularly Rebel figures present on Yavin), but it didn’t work out due to scheduling issues. His comments made it sound like those characters simply won’t appear on the series, but Bail Organa is too significant a character to write out. He is one of Mon Mothma’s closest allies and integral in spearheading the Rebellion. Seeing that Andor explores the origins of the Rebel Alliance, it would be hard to tell the story without Bail, which necessitated the recasting. Fortunately, Bratt is well aware of the role’s legacy and made sure he followed Smits’ footsteps admirably. The actor seems to have a strong reading of the character and should be able to make the part his own while keeping the same spirit intact.
Seeing Bratt as Organa was likely initially jarring for many Star Wars fans, but hopefully now that it’s out of the way, viewers can now settle in and get immersed in the second half of Andor Season 2. As the series gets closer to the events of Rogue One, there’s sure to be even more compelling drama and hard-hitting action in store — especially as the fates of some Andor characters are resolved. Hopefully as Bratt becomes a more prevalent presence on Andor, he settles into the part and seeing him becomes second nature for fans. It sounds like he has a sizable role to play over the remaining six episodes, so it would be great to see Bratt leave his stamp on the franchise.
