49 Years Ago Today, an Iconic Star Wars Actor Was Born (And Their Character Has Only Gotten Better With Time)

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2027 promises to be a big year for Star Wars fans. It will be the 50th anniversary of the original Star Wars: A New Hope, and the film will return to cinemas for a limited time. This will give longtime fans a chance to relive the magic and introduce a new generation to the classic movie. The rerelease is also meant to generate excitement for Lucasfilm’s new film, Star Wars: Starfighter, directed by Shawn Levy and featuring Ryan Gosling, Mia Goth, and Matt Smith.

While 2027 promises to be an exciting year, 2024 still has a lot to offer. We’re getting new Star Wars content with The Mandalorian & Grogu hitting theaters – the first Star Wars film in cinemas since 2019 – and the second season of Star Wars: Ahsoka might arrive on Disney+ before the end of the year. But today, we’re celebrating something even more special: the birthday of a truly deserving actor and character.

George Lucas Couldn’t Fit Every Character in the Prequels

Genevieve O’Reilly, born on January 6, 1977, started her film career with small parts in the first two Matrix sequels. Her work eventually caught the attention of George Lucas while he was casting Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Instead of giving her a minor, non-speaking role, Lucas offered her the part of Mon Mothma, a key leader of the Rebellion and a character previously played by Caroline Blakiston in the original Star Wars trilogy. O’Reilly embraced the opportunity and took on the challenge.

As a big Star Wars fan, I was really disappointed to learn that Monica O’Reilly’s scene from Revenge of the Sith ended up on the cutting room floor. It was a key moment where her character helped lay the groundwork for the Rebellion, meeting with figures like Padmé and Bail Organa. Apparently, George Lucas felt the movie was already too packed with events and worried another scene focused on political maneuvering would slow things down. Honestly, losing a scene like that could be devastating for an actor, potentially changing their career path entirely. But Monica’s different – she’s incredibly resilient and just keeps working, always ready for whatever comes next. It’s a testament to her dedication!

Mon Mothma Has Reached New Heights Under Genevieve O’Reilly’s Care

Even after Lucas sold Star Wars to Disney, they didn’t want to start the series over. Instead, Disney chose to build on what fans already loved, focusing on the ongoing battle between the Empire and the Rebellion. This led to the creation of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a film about a group of rebels who risk everything to steal the plans for the Death Star. Mon Mothma was a key character they wanted to include, and Genevieve O’Reilly was asked to play her. Interestingly, O’Reilly was hesitant to return to acting at the time, but she agreed, not wanting to give Palpatine and the Empire any advantage.

Playing Mon Mothma, even in a small role initially, was a major achievement for O’Reilly. But that was just the start. She continued to voice the character in the animated series Star Wars Rebels and later became a central figure in the Disney+ show Star Wars: Andor. Andor really gave O’Reilly a chance to shine as an actress, portraying Mothma navigating the challenging early days of the Rebellion. Every scene she was in was compelling, and Season 2 particularly focused on her story with two dedicated story arcs.

As a fan, I’m really wondering what’s next for Mon Mothma now that Andor has finished. It feels like Lucasfilm is moving away from stories set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Luckily, Mothma still has a big role to play in the time period Ahsoka and the other shows Dave Filoni is working on – the era of the New Republic. So I’m hopeful we haven’t seen the last of her!

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2026-01-06 21:42