Tony Gilroy Explains Bail Organa Recasting in Andor Season 2

Fans were surprised this week when Andor Season 2 brought back a major Star Wars legacy character—but not with the actor many expected. In episode 6, Mon Mothma and her husband Perrin briefly encounter Senator Bail Organa at a Coruscant party. But rather than longtime series veteran Jimmy Smits, Organa is played by Benjamin Bratt.

Smits has portrayed the Alderaanian senator since 2002’s Attack of the Clones, reprising the role in Revenge of the Sith, Rogue One, and Obi-Wan Kenobi. His absence sparked immediate online discussion among fans.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, series creator Tony Gilroy explained the change was purely logistical. “The scheduling didn’t work out,” Gilroy said. “We really tried hard, but he wasn’t available… Bringing back legacy characters is really complicated and expensive.”

Gilroy revealed that Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy suggested Bratt for the role. “It was just a brilliant idea,” he said. “He’s a wonderful human being and really eager and beloved on set.”

While Organa’s appearance in episode 6 is brief, Gilroy hinted more is coming: “I put him in episode 6 in an arbitrary way so people will get the conversation out of the way until the next week when he really starts to work.”

Though some fans were initially jarred by the recasting, many are eager to see how Bratt puts his own stamp on the beloved rebel senator in the episodes ahead.