Interview: Discussing the Second Season of ‘Andor’ with Executive Producer Sanne Wohlenberg

The second season of Andor is one of the best-ever reviewed projects in the Star Wars franchise, which, according to executive producer Sanne Wohlenberg, who spoke to Awards Radar on Zoom, is “a shot in the arm. I have to say, it is extraordinary. Whenever it comes to critics and reviews, you kind of hold your breath wondering whether it resonates and how people will respond. It’s been very humbling and overwhelmingly positive. It’s very exciting.”

The show’s success all starts with Tony Gilroy, who, according to the executive producer, “has a very strong voice and has written a very specific series. Andor is its own thing within the Star Wars franchise. And I think it is really lovely that it has come together, and what the end result was, because his vision was so strong and so clear. Finding a team that was so extraordinarily good, and delivering more than one can ever dream of, was just great.”

For Wohlenberg, working with Gilroy has been “an extraordinary journey. I love him as a writer and have always been a huge fan of his. Bringing his voice to the franchise was an exciting proposition. He is so inventive and has such a clear path for the story that he wants to tell, with strong, fully formed characters. It’s such a gift. When you deal with the story that you know is building, dealing with a revolution within the Star Wars franchise, the scope and scale that Tony can bring to the screen is a challenge, but also a really exciting task.”

When you get a Tony Gilroy script, “it’s like Christmas, your birthday, and every single good thing rolled into one. It’s so exciting. Everything you do from there to bring it to the screen is a gift because good writing attracts extraordinary actors and great talent all around. That is really the absolute springboard to try and achieve something worthwhile. And I think we were very proud of what we achieved.”

There was much to dissect with Sanne about the second season of this incredible series, including the decision of jumping to one year with each block of three episodes, knowing how to mark the passage of time without having to explain everything to the audience, the parallels Andor draws with history and current-day politics, and what the most rewarding aspect of working on a show like this was for her. 

You can listen to the full interview below and stream all episodes of Andor on Disney+ today: 

[Some of the quotes in this article have been edited for length and clarity]