Actually Kino Loy, Andy Serkis’ character in Andor, has a touching backstory. This is what the actor said about the prisoner of Narkina 5.
Andy Serkis revolutionized the Star Wars universe with his surprise appearance in Andor. The actor was already an old acquaintance with fans of the franchise for his role as Supreme Leader Snoke in the JJ Abrams trilogy. However, in the spin-off series of the rebel hero, his role changed and now he was a prisoner of Narkina 5, a prison where the protagonist of the show ends up as well.
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Meeting Cassian, the character of the veteran British actor was Kino Loy. Despite not having had much screen time, this renegade has a great and deep backstory, which was the one that ended up making the interpreter fall in love to take this place.
Who is Kino Loy?
“He is used to working in the factory and defending workers’ rights,” Serkis told StarWars.com. “This is a man who cares about others. And he suddenly finds himself in a world where he has to keep his head down, not tell the truth about him, and just try to fulfill his sentence believing that he’s going to be released.”
“When he was incarcerated, he almost lost any desire to care for anyone other than himself. He just do his time and get out. To try to get out and survive the sentence, the torture, the numbing. I think it was that desensitization which made it maybe he had that shell a little bit lost but a little hardened and hardened,” he added to Collider.
In addition, he added that at some point “there was a man who is quite energetic. He’s direct and he’s actually hardened, I think, from the rough treatment he’s received in Narkina 5”, he added. “He’s a homework master and he’s pretty relentless and he shuts people up and he’s almost a bully, in a way. But the system has to do with competition. The way the court is run, it’s all about beating other people. And if you’re not, you get electrocuted. It’s punishment or reward and the rewards are few.”
Andor, the motivation to return
According to the celebrity, another of the things that contributed a lot to the construction of Kino was the writing that provided the showrunne.r Tony Gilroy of the same. “All of these things really helped shape the character, from the writing to the design to the conversations we had. And then I understand, of course, that he knew where he would end up, knowing the fact that he can never get out of this, even if he has to continue to inspire others to do so. There’s a lot of pathos in the role and I really enjoyed playing it, but I kept it grounded at all times so it didn’t get sentimental,” she stated.
Already on Andor, Andy Serkis admitted that the young rebel spy was undoubtedly the big reason to say yes once again to Star Wars.
“What was exciting was that Kino Loy (and Cassian) gradually came together. I was creating a character that has been hardened and then through Cassian’s desire to stand up for others, it kindles in him this journey to tell the truth about him again,” Serkis mentioned. “And I think the hardness at the beginning was set up on purpose and then gradually falls apart as he begins to find himself, once he realizes that there is absolutely no point in continuing to believe that being released is an option. Come to a moment of enlightenment really cruel, and then he finds generosity in himself again and the spirit and desire to speak. It was just a really beautifully crafted arc and I really enjoyed playing it,” he exclaimed.
Another reason
“That was another very strong reason why I wanted to do this because I really love Diego’s performance and I love Cassian as a character. So to have the opportunity to work together really intimately was amazing. He is a tremendously talented and truly generous actor and storyteller, a brilliantly gifted great natural leader. He also directs, so it was wonderful to have that conversation with him as well.”
“What’s so brilliant about this franchise and this universe is that it can allow that amount of humanity to really show up in Rogue One. The other worlds of (Star Wars) are beautifully drawn in a slightly more operatic, elevated world that they operate in, which is just as delightful. But this always felt like real courage and real sweat. The story felt very complete and grounded,” he went on to say about his involvement in the saga.
