Ben Mendelsohn made his Star Wars debut back in 2016. Mendelsohn was heavily featured in the standalone film Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. In the movie, Ben plays the man in charge of advanced weapons research for the Galactic Empire, Director Orson Krennic. However, that was almost an entire decade ago. Now, Mendelsohn has returned to a galaxy far, far away to reprise his role as Krennic for Andor Season 2. However, why Ben chose to return to the franchise may surprise most fans.
According to Yahoo, Ben Mendelsohn’s decision to return to Star Wars was an easy one. When Andor creator Tony Gilroy called Mendelsohn to ask him to return, it was allegedly an “immediate yes.” Ben had a lot to say regarding Tony and his experience with Lucasfilm, and it was overwhelmingly positive. Rogue One was the first Disney-made Star Wars film. While many fans dislike Disney’s equal trilogy, Rogue One was a very pleasant surprise. This most likely was a heavy factor regarding Ben’s return. Mendelsohn states that his time in this franchise has “taken me by joyous surprise.”
Ben Mendelsohn Opens Up About Why He Returned To Star Wars
“Quite a while ago, not that long after the first season,” said Mendelsohn. “Tony just said, ‘Would you be amenable to coming back and just doing a few scenes?’ To which I was like, ‘F**k yeah, absolutely.’ Michael Clayton is somewhere in my 25 most-loved films of all time. And Krennic and the whole Star Wars experience was a really good one for me. But I had no idea how good it was going to be. It’s taken me by joyous surprise.”
Despite Ben playing the same character, the time period is quite different. Orson Krennic is not yet the Director in charge of the Death Star project, he is just an Imperial officer looking to rise through the ranks. However, that arguably makes this character even more dangerous. A young and hungry Imperial officer can certainly be a threat to the galaxy. Although it also adds a layer of depth regarding Krennic as a character. That’s something fans do not get to see a lot of in Rogue One.
Ben Mendelsohn jumped at the opportunity to return to Star Wars, and he is making the most of it. Orson Krennic has now appeared in at least two of the six episodes of Andor Season 2 that are streaming on Disney+. The fans love him, and he is a crucial character in Cassian Andor’s journey. Although fans know how his story ends already, it’s very interesting to see what the character was like before the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Dylan Cook 
