The Star Wars galaxy has always been filled with some of the most iconic villains in history, including the legendary Darth Vader. In the seven years since Disney took control of the galaxy far, far away, fans have already been treated to the likes of Kylo Ren, Moff Gideon, and Cad Bane, with several of these threats coming straight out of Disney+.
As Disney+ continues to be home to most of the Star Wars universe, the galaxy will soon expand again with Andor. The Rogue One prequel will revisit Diego Luna's Cassian Andor in the years leading up to his ultimate sacrifice in the name of the Rebel cause, and that will undoubtedly lead to new Empire threats being introduced.
Among these antagonists are Kyle Soller's Syril Karn and Denise Gough's Dedra Meero, both of which will undoubtedly be causing plenty of trouble for Andor during his twelve-episode first season.
Ahead of the Disney+ series, Gough spoke to The Direct and revealed comparisons to one of television's most famous villains.
How Giancarlo Esposito's Breaking Bad Villain Inspired Andor
Speaking to The Direct in an exclusive interview, Andor actress Denise Gough, who plays Dedra Meero, discussed how other villains influence her character.
Gough explained how Breaking Bad's Gustavo Fring - played by Giancarlo Esposito - and his "meticulous" nature influenced her Andor villain:
"Gus from Breaking Bad is my ultimate villain character. In his meticulous... You know when he kills somebody, and he takes off his suit really perfectly, and he folds everything, and then he brutally murders someone and then comes back and showers? So yeah, him, Gustavo Fring from Breaking Bad."
The Irish star also noted how the "steely elegance" of Jennifer Connelly's Snowpiecer character contributed to the look and style of Meero:
"I did like the look and style of Jennifer Connelly in Snowpiercer, I didn't get very far in it, but she has a sort of steely elegance to her that I sort of stole. Because that's what actors do isn't it, we're all stealing from each other all the time, both in real life and in character life."
What Does This Mean for Andor's Villains?
Giancarlo Esposito is famous for being among the greatest villain actors in history, having played calm and collected threats in Breaking Bad, The Mandalorian, and The Boys. The Breaking Bad villain always carries out his horrific acts in a meticulous and calm manner, perhaps indicating fans can expect something similar from Gough's Andor antagonist.
Esposito joined the Star Wars universe himself several years back in The Mandalorian as Empire leader Moff Gideon. The actor brought something of his Breaking Bad nature to the galaxy far, far away, so maybe the two will share some similarities, although the chances are slim that they will ever interact with each other as the two series take place roughly 14 years apart.
As both hold high-ranking positions within the Empire, with Dedra only expected to climb the ranks, fans may get the chance to meet a younger Moff Gideon in future episodes. Andor has already been confirmed for a second season that will cover the five-year lead-up to Rogue One, so there's plenty of time to see the ranks of the Empire change and evolve.
Andor will premiere its first three episodes on Wednesday, September 21, exclusively on Disney+.
