Denise Gough has done enough television to know that sometimes what you read in a script doesn’t always make it to the screen. And even after filming was completed, Gough thought that could be the case with the “Star Wars” prequel series, “Andor.” What the two-time Olivier Award winner wasn’t banking on was that Tony Gilroy was running the show.
READ MORE: “Andor” Season 2 first-look footage teased as Tony Gilroy aims for Summer 2024 release On Disney+
Gough and co-star Kyle Soller, who plays Syrill, were paired for the program’s initial press junket last summer. When Gilroy found out neither had actually watched the series yet, he insisted they do so immediately.
“And yeah, I watched it. Wow. Yeah, I balled,” Gough recalls. “I really cried a lot because I couldn’t believe every moment of it was so…When I read those first three scripts, I was like, ‘This is beautiful. This is actually beautiful.’ And I hadn’t expected to think that. I thought that it would be lots of action, but I thought, ‘Oh no, this really touches. It’s really moving.’ But then when you see it, you’re like, ‘Are you kidding me?’”
In our interview, Gough ponders whether her character, Dedra Meero, a seemingly devious ISB officer, might be more than power-hungry, how costume designer Michael Wilkinson’s uniform changed her portrayal of the character, whether the events in the final episode of season one might inform Dedra in Season 2, her love of Netflix’s “Beef” and much, much more.
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The Playlist: It’s Tony Gilroy. You’ve read the script. It’s interesting, it seems like something unique. When did you really know though that this show was something special?
Denise Gough: I think when I watched it. I’ve done enough TV to know and film to know that sometimes what you read doesn’t carry the whole way through the edit and people get involved and everything. What I didn’t bank on was the fact that I was working for Tony Gilroy, and I can’t imagine anyone being able to get involved and make a mess of it if he’s involved. Kyle [Soller] and I did the junket together, and neither of us had seen it. And then Tony that evening was like, “What? You have to watch it.” But we were like, “Yeah, but there’s all these little codes and you have to watch it in a certain amount of time.” And then I watched it and I had to watch one with my name across it so that nobody else can see. And yeah, I watched it. Wow. Yeah, I balled. I really cried a lot because I couldn’t believe every moment of it was so…When I read those first three scripts, I was like, “This is beautiful. This is actually beautiful.” And I hadn’t expected to think that. I thought that it would be lots of action, but I thought, “Oh no, this really touches. It’s really moving.” But then when you see it, you’re like, “Are you kidding me?” Yeah. I love it. I’m so proud to be part of it because it’s made up of so many amazing ingredients and so many amazing people operating at a really high level.
When you were watching any of the scenes you were in, was there anything in particular that either surprised you or think, “Oh wow, we were good that day?”
I think the final scene between me and Kyle. I mean, I was in awe of everyone. With every twitch of Genevieve’s eyebrow, I was like, “Are you kidding me?” I mean, I just thought everyone was so brilliant. But in terms of scenes, Kyle and I did that very last scene as our first scene, and we had never met or worked together and it was all new. That was our first day. So, we then played back all the way through. And so I always thought, “Oh, maybe if I had done that scene now, I would know more about how she operates.” Well, when I watched it, I thought, “Oh my God.” That was my first moment of magic with Kyle. And there have been so many more now that I’m used to what gets created with him. But yeah, that was the scene where I thought, “Oh, I didn’t have enough faith in what we did that day.” But in terms of other things like Fiona Shaw saying, “That’s love. That’s just love.” Brasso belting the guy in the face with Fiona and a brick. And, also I’ve got to give a special mention to Michael Wilkinson who does our costumes. They’re not costumes. You could put all of the stuff that he does down a runway. If you look in the background at how people are dressed, the detail, it’s just so beautiful, and Luke. Yeah, I’m fanning out on Star Wars now having come to it very late. I can’t really speak highly enough of this show.
I have a quick question then on Wilkinson’s work. Those are meant to be everyday uniforms that people work in all day. Are they comfortable?
I mean, I had mine tailored because when I first put it on, it’s like [those uniforms had] always been made for men. And I was like, “Oh, it’s a little baggy.” And he said, “Oh, don’t worry about it, darling. I’m going to tailor the hell out of this.” So, it was nipped in and sharpened and everything is just so perfect. And the boots were given a tiny bit of a heel and taken in at the ankle. And so it’s not so much that the uniforms are not comfortable, it’s the way that I have to stand that isn’t comfortable. Because it became really clear that Dedra shouldn’t be doing too much of this [more hunched back], which is my natural state. And Benjamin Caron, our first director, pointed out that I was diluting her power by doing it. And he suggested, “Just put your hands behind your back.” Putting them in front of her, weakened her. So she just became this rock solid hands behind her back. It also meant that I was just in agony here all of the time. But yeah, my whole performance was built around the fact that she does not show anything except these tiny things in her face. I learned a lot about acting on this job, and what you can do with very little. I really enjoyed it.