Genevieve O’Reilly is best known to STARBURST readers for for her role as Mon Mothma, beginning from REVENGE OF THE SITH and more recently in the second and final season of ANDOR, the Star Wars™ series on Disney+. Andor serves as a prequel to ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS™ STORY, where Genevieve was last seen as the political leader of the Rebel Alliance. She also recently helped promote the STAR WARS™: UNLIMITED TRADING CARD GAME.
Genevieve will next star in Netflix’s upcoming adaptation of MY BRILLIANT CAREER, based on Miles Franklin’s landmark 1901 Australian novel. We caught up with her to find out more about working in the Galaxy’s greatest franchise, as well as the wonderful world of card games.
You’re probably best known to Star Wars™ fans for Star Wars™: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Andor, and Rogue One: A Star Wars™ Story, but you’ve also appeared in a wide range of sci-fi and fantasy projects. Can you tell us about your first role in the genre and how that came about?
I was just starting out as an actor when I auditioned for a young Mon Mothma in George Lucas’ Revenge of the Sith. I didn’t think much about genre. It was the character, the woman I was interested in. I loved the idea of quietly confident female leaders in high level secret meetings. Senators, politicians, leaders risking the unknown to gather together to voice dissent about a brutal leader. I had grown up with stories of Irish people, who for hundreds of years were meeting secretly to give voice in opposition to their oppression under a cruel empire. So although there were lavish costumes and swathes of blue screens, the story felt very human to me.
What is it that continues to draw you back to these worlds?
I really value genre pieces. That under the guise of wildly creative worlds, extra terrestrial creatures, customs and cultures we can examine our own humanity.
How does it feel to be part of the Star Wars™ universe?
I feel terribly honoured to be a tiny part of a huge story, an immensely valuable cultural tale that is Star Wars™.
Mon Mothma has become such an iconic figure within Star Wars. At what point did you realise that you would always be the Mon Mothma for fans?
I am so grateful for the beautiful accident it was that somehow it was me who got to step into Caroline’s shoes. I had always wanted to do her and George Lucas (because he was the one that cast me as Mon) and the fans proud. I was hopeful that in Andor we could really elevate not just her presence but her emotional and intellectual weight and value to the idea of that iconic Star Wars™ rebellion. Tony Gilroy provided the space and story for Mon to shine. I just took the flag and waved it.
Was there a particular moment where you really felt how deeply audiences had connected with your portrayal?
Last year I went to my first convention in Liverpool. I met fans from all over the world. They shared with me just how much Mon and particularly her journey in Andor meant to them. They told me of personal struggles of their own and how much her voice meant to them -particularly Mon’s speech from Season 2. I was deeply moved and touched that people shared their stories with me and I think I understood that day for the first time how much she meant to them.
Any memorable fan encounters which may have consolidated this?
Hilariously, I’ve had a number of people come up to me on the tube in London to ask me about the dance sequence at Leida’s wedding. It’s such a fun thing to chat about. People love that she got to go wild on the dance floor!
You’ve recently stepped into the world of tabletop gaming through Star Wars™: Unlimited Trading Card Game. Tell us a bit about your first experience of the game?
Look there’s no sugar coating this. I was rubbish!! I grew up loving playing games with my family and now with my kids we play games almost every week. So when I was contacted and told that Mon was in a Star Wars™Card Game and would I like to come and play I quite literally jumped with joy. But this, my friends, is a game on another level! It is so wonderfully multifaceted! I was sent the game and I sat down on a Sunday eve to play it with my kids. We had no idea what was going on. It was so funny. My little boy suggested we go on YouTube to find a tutorial. Genius idea! But I was still rubbish at it, so I needed some serious tutors.
How did you build on your knowledge of the game?
Krishiv and Hannah who I met at the Disney event were super fun and so so patient with me. They talked me through the world of the game the strategies, the play. They were brilliant. And because it is Star Wars™, they were obviously the Jedis and I was a mere Padawan.
What have you discovered about the game, or even about yourself, through playing? That in the gaming world I’m probably only good for comedy value, and that I definitely need to hook up with Krishiv and Hannah before playing again!
A big part of Star Wars™: Unlimited Trading Card Game is how it brings fans together to share stories and experiences. Tell us about your recent experience meeting players and fans.
My lasting memory of my day at Disney with the Star Wars™: Unlimited players is the sense of camaraderie and community that I witnessed and got to share in. People from all over the country, from different walks of life, each at very different levels of the game gathering to sit and chat and play. It was a wonderful, generous spirited atmosphere.
What was it like to hear directly from players about what Star Wars™: Unlimited Trading Card Game means to them?
Some of the people I met had been playing the game for a long time and collected many different cards over the years and had sophisticated game strategies. Some were professional players. There was a really cool team of 4 friends who were off to Europe to compete in an international competition together. Others were newer to the game and were building confidence. It was a really positive, encouraging and inclusive environment – I found the day and the people I met genuinely inspiring.
Any stand out conversations or fan stories that stayed with you?
It was super cool that there were people I could fan out over the art work of the cards with. I am a sucker for beautiful character art and illustrations. And that is a huge part of Star Wars™ culture and history. So a couple of people showed me some older cards that I hadn’t seen before with stunning illustrations. So cool.
How did it feel to connect with fans in a more intimate, face-to-face setting through the game?
I could be wrong here, but my experience of that day was that the game allowed for a more intimate expression of Star Wars™ fandom and game playing than say, a convention. There was an intimacy to the conversations between people and expression which felt different.
You have a real gift for playing composed, authoritative characters. How much fun is it to step into those roles?
That’s kind of you to say. I have had the good fortune of playing women with very different lives, but Mon is definitely the most authoritative and composed. And she is extraordinary to play because she has to hold so much within her. She is so different to me. I come from a very simple background and a quiet history. I loved exploring all the tradition and the political world she has to navigate. There were so many layers to her. I don’t think we got to them all.
What do you enjoy most about embodying those kinds of characters?
I love having a character that has secrets. I’ll often invent a secret for characters I play. But Mon is a warren of secrets held. She felt like a time bomb at times.
Finally, looking beyond Star Wars™, is there a genre project (TV, film, or even stage) that you’d love to take on next?
My daughter loves reading fantasy novels. She’s been obsessed with the Throne of Glass and Fourth Wing books. So if they ever get made, I’ll have to pitch hard to be a part of them.
Any genres or formats you haven’t explored yet but would like to?
I mean, a musical would be fun!
What kind of character would feel like a new challenge or departure for you?
I’d love to play a villain. That would be so much fun!
You can pick up STAR WARS™: UNLIMITED TRADING CARD GAME today. MY BRILLIANT CAREER comes to Netflix later this year.
