“The Plan Was Ruined”: ‘Andor’s Diego Luna Explains His Facial Hair Debacle in Season 2 [Exclusive]

Andor Season 2 is right around the corner, and while Lucasfilm didn’t unveil too much from the show at Star Wars Celebration, there has still been new material aplenty in the form of trailers and teasers in the last few weeks. Andor Season 2 will feature time jumps — three episodes will premiere at a time, with each batch of three telling a contained story with a one-year gap in between. This undoubtedly leads to some complications, especially for a show like Andor, which shot some things out of order. Collider’s Steve Weintraub caught up with Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk to talk about Andor Season 2, and spoke about how he managed to keep his beard intact and on the right timeline when the show takes place over several years:

“We made a plan, and then the plan was ruined. We made a plan, but it was a weird schedule because we didn’t shoot in order. Sometimes blocks will happen at the same time, or had to interact. So, I spent a few days sticking hair because I made the wrong choice, like, “Shit! I need to have my facial hair!” There was a very cool technique, which is you put glue, you put real hair, and then you have someone else’s hair on your face, basically. So, I have to thank that person. It’s part of my performance.”

Every time you see Diego Luna with a beard in Andor Season 2, just know, it might not be his hair. With three movie trilogies that span roughly 60 years, much of Star Wars’ storytelling over the years has been filling in the gaps. Andor was announced as a two-season show that will lead to Rogue One, and despite it being one of the most beloved properties the franchise has released, these plans have not been altered. Luna spoke about this consistency in the same interview, and also praised creator Tony Gilroy’s ability to find new, compelling stories along the way:

“When I read Season 2, I just remembered that was exactly what he pitched me at the beginning. He was consistent with that. It was just richer, obviously, because of all the new storylines and the stuff we found on the way. The core of the thing was the exact same, which in this long format is something you don’t see often. People start pitching things and then they go out to find out what they can do. This was consistent. I was also impressed on how he managed to deliver for each character. Everyone has its closure, which is really cool. And I love the way this relation starts.”

Cassian and K-2SO’s relationship is one of the core pillars of Rogue One, and although the timeline didn’t work in his favor to appear in Season 1, fans are still on pins and needles waiting for more from the beloved droid. Tudyk, who will make his debut as K-2SO in Andor Season 2 soon, spoke about what he’s most excited for fans to see from his character: “I’m looking forward to people seeing K-2SO before he becomes K-2SO. See him born, but also who he was before he was born. Before he was born again. Before he finds God… or Diego, and finds the Rebellion.”

Diego Luna and Alan Tudyk Dish on Their Plans for Life After ‘Andor’

Weintraub also jokingly asked both Alan Tudyk and Diego Luna if they had any plans to retire following Andor Season 2, considering there was nowhere to go from here but down. Tudyk, who also recently voiced Doctor Phosphorus in Creature Commandos, revealed that K-2SO is his favorite robot that he’s played, but that he thinks he might be ready to move on to other things: “I’m actually using this as my launch into retirement. I’m taking it off of you that this is the time. I’ve done it, man. I can take it easy now.”

Luna even followed suit with Weintraub’s question and asked Tudyk if he was done with everything or just playing robots, to which he responded, “All of it, man. I’m done with all of it. I’ve done as many robots as I can do, but K-2[SO] is the best. I think it’s a good time to go out.” Luna also joked about his potential retirement, citing the 10 years of work he’s put into crafting Cassian Andor. He mentioned that he’s excited to get into other things he’s passionate about, like cooking. Tudyk jumped in to remind him that Luna owes him a paella he’s been promising him since they were filming Season 2, which was shut down by the strikes.

Andor Season 2 will lead directly up to the events of Rogue One, and even feature characters from the film who were absent in Season 1, such as K-2SO. Luna also spoke about what he thinks sets Andor apart from other TV shows, which are so often focused more on securing a future than telling a good story:

“Jokes aside, it’s a beautiful reminder of what this whole thing is about. It’s about a point of view, and being honest and consistent with what you want to do. I think one thing that makes this show different from what’s happening in this long format TV [show] that we are doing is that we had an ending. That is different. We were not working, hoping to get another and another and another season, and, “What else can happen? Who else can join?” The ending was there, and we were all aiming for that. That brings some rigor, and makes everything fall into place. And Tony Gilroy. If you have those two things, you might get a good show.”

It’s clear that a lot of love went into making both seasons of Andor, and the relationship between Tudyk and Luna, which formed on the set of Rogue One, will carry on forever. Both seasons of Andor were written and created for television by Tony Gilroy, with his brother, Dan Gilroy, also working on the show.

Andor Season 2 premieres on April 22. Stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the show, and watch Andor on Disney+.