‘Andor' star Adria Arjona reacts to filming first sexual assault in ‘Star Wars' franchise
During the third episode of 'Andor' Season 2, Rebel fugitive Bix Caleen (Adria Arjona) is forced to fight back at Imperial officer Krole (Alex Waldmann) as he tries to rape her. Bix, who is trying to hide her 'undocumented' status as a Ferrix refugee from the Empire, ultimately kills Krole by striking him multiple times with a wrench during the intense struggle.
Arjona, 32, told Entertainment Weekly how difficult it was to film the scene — which marked the first attempted rape in the 'Star Wars' franchise.
10 Adria Arjona in 'Andor' Season 2.
Lucasfilm
10 Diego Luna, Adria Arjona in 'Andor' Season 2.
Lucasfilm
'It was challenging because everyone involved in the creation of that scene felt the importance of what this scene meant, not only for the show, but for 'Star Wars,'' she explained.
'But I also felt incredibly safe and cushioned in the process of doing it. It's something Tony Gilroy does,' she said about the show's creator.
'He brings this mirror effect that [shows] the things that happen in our world can also happen in a galaxy far, far away.'
10 Adria Arjona at Star Wars Celebration Japan on April 19.
Getty Images for Disney
Arjona also explained why Bix refers to Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) as her 'husband' when Krole confronts her and acts like a predator before the attempted assault.
'It's a way of escaping,' she said. 'It's very different for her to say, 'My boyfriend is coming.' She might feel that he won't respect her, right? But if she says, my husband, there's power to that. There's respect to that. She hopes in her wildest dreams that he respects that. Of course he doesn't, but she feels incredibly cornered at that moment.'
10 Adria Arjona and Diego Luna in 'Andor.'
Lucasfilm
'It's more complex than a cute wedding in the gap year,' Arjona continued. 'She's trying to get out of a very tricky situation that, as women, we unfortunately are stuck in quite a bit.''
In an interview with Variety, Arjona — who is dating Jason Momoa — admitted that she was 'really scared' to film the attempted rape scene after reading the script.
'But there was also something really f—ing powerful about the fact that I get to showcase this in a galaxy far, far away,' she shared. 'The fact that Tony gave it to Bix was a big honor — and it was right. She's in the most vulnerable state she can possibly be in, and someone tries to take advantage of her. We've heard that story many times.'
10 Adria Arjona at the 'Andor' Season 2 premiere in the UK on April 10.
WireImage
10 Adria Arjona, Jason Momoa at the 'Black Bag' screening in London on March 11.
Samir Hussein/WireImage
Arjona revealed that in her conversations with director Ariel Kleinman before shooting the scene, the 'only thing that I really fought for' was for Bix to first break free by backhanding Krole.
'There was something about backslapping somebody that is exactly what I wish my reaction would be if I were ever in that moment,' she explained. 'It just felt really liberating to be able to do that. I had a lot of women in my heart at that time. For any woman, for anyone, when you have a stranger, a male stranger, in your own space, everything becomes survival.'
10 Adria Arjona as Bix Caleen in 'Andor.'
Lucasfilm
The actress added that she 'felt so much power' from saying the word 'rape' in a 'Star Wars' project.
'I felt it throughout the day. I felt it when I finished filming, and I went home,' she said.
10 Diego Luna, Adria Arjona in 'Andor' Season 2.
Lucasfilm
Gilroy, 68, told the Hollywood Reporter that the troubling moment between Bix and Krole 'just was organic and it felt right, coming about as a power trip for this guy.'
He also said Disney didn't push back on the scene.
10 Tony Gilroy at the 'Andor' premiere in LA on April 14.
AFP via Getty Images
'No one ever ever said anything about it, ever,' Gilroy told the outlet. 'But I mean, we have limits on what we can do. We are very aware of what we can do sexually and violence wise. Those limits are made very clear.'
10 Adria Arjona at the 'Andor' Season 2 premiere in LA on April 14.
FilmMagic
The series, set several years before the events of the 2016 film 'Rogue One,' explores how Cassian Andor went from thief to rebel spy.
The cast is rounded out by Genevieve O'Reilly as Mon Mothma, Stellan Skarsgård as Luthen Rael, Denise Gough as Dedra Meero, Kyle Soller as Syril Karn, Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha and Elizabeth Dulau as Kleya Marki.
New episodes of 'Andor' Season 2 come out Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Disney+.
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