Benjamin Bratt reflected on playing Bail Organa in Andor Season 2 and taking over the character from Jimmy Smits during a recent interview. Bratt made his debut as Senator Organa in Andor Season 2 Episode 6, titled “What a Festive Evening.”
Previously, Smits portrayed the character in 2002’s Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, the 2022 Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, and the 2008 video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
Benjamin Bratt opens up on playing Bail Organa in Andor Season 2
Benjamin Bratt explained to StarWars.com that he agreed to play Bail Organa because the character was a “brilliant strategist.” He said. “We learn that he’s a brilliant strategist and capable of bringing some heat to the degree that it’s needed. That’s what excited me and drew me to playing the character.”
In “What a Festive Evening,” Bratt’s character has a brief encounter with Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) and her husband, Perrin (Alastair Mackenzie), just as he’s leaving a party. The Mother of the Bride actor also acknowledged that he replaced Smits in the cast of the Star Wars series, hailing the fellow actor as “incredibly talented.” Bratt continued, “He [Smits] possesses elegance, a natural grace, a goodness really, an earnestness that this particular character requires.”
As previously reported by SuperHeroHype, series creator and showrunner Tony Gilroy confirmed that Smits’ absence in Andor Season 2 as Bail Organa was because of a conflict in filming schedules.
According to Bratt, Gilroy has created a show that is “very spare” while being “incredibly elaborate.” The Miss Congeniality star noted that while an inevitable tragedy “awaits our heroes,” the show “keeps you hopeful.” He also added that Gilroy’s story helped the audience remember that “the human spirit cannot be extinguished.” He said, “That’s the essence of good storytelling.”
Besides Bratt, the cast of Andor Season 2 includes Diego Luna as Cassian Andor, Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen, and Forest Whitaker as Saw Gerrera. Three new episodes of the show stream on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.
Originally reported by Tamal Kundu on SuperHeroHype.
