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

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As fun as 2027 will be, though, there’s no reason to jump the gun just yet because this year has just as much potential. A galaxy far, far away is returning to theaters for the first time since 2019 with the release of Star Wars: The Mandalorian & Grogu, and there’s a good chance that the second season of Star Wars: Ahsoka lands on Disney+ before December rolls around. However, all of that pales in comparison to the birthday that’s being celebrated today, as it puts the spotlight on both an actor and a character who deserve the world.

George Lucas Couldn’t Fit Every Character in the Prequels

Back in the early 2000s, Genevieve O’Reilly, born January 6, 1977, was cutting her teeth in the movie business by playing minor roles in the first two The Matrix sequels. She eventually landed on George Lucas’ radar when he was casting for the final prequel film, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Rather than having O’Reilly play a background character with no lines, he offered her Mon Mothma, the Senator from Chandrila who was one of the Rebellion’s leaders in the original trilogy. Stepping into Caroline Blakiston’s shoes was no joke, but O’Reilly accepted the challenge and got to work.

Unfortunately, O’Reilly’s only scene, which saw her character meet with Padmé Amidala, Bail Organa, and other characters to plant the seeds of the Rebellion, didn’t make the final cut. Revenge of the Sith was overstuffed as is, and Lucas thought that another scene about bureaucracy would take away from the action. A blow like that could derail many people’s careers and potentially send them down a different career path. But O’Reilly isn’t like most actors, as she’s always ready to put her head down and wait for her next oppurtunity.

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

Despite Lucas selling Star Wars to Disney, a reboot wasn’t in the cards. The House of Mouse decided to double down on what made the franchise great, which meant exploring the conflict between the Empire and Rebellion even further. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a movie about a band of rebels stealing the plans for the first Death Star, got the green light, and Mothma had to be part of the story. Even though O’Reilly never officially played Mothma, she got the nod, playing the character at a time in her life when she was very reluctant to act, not wanting to give Emperor Palpatine and his cronies an advantage.

Getting to bring Mothma to life, even if it was only in a few scenes, was probably a career highlight for O’Reilly. However, her journey was only just beginning. She voiced the character in the animated series Star Wars Rebels and was also one of the stars of the Disney+ show Star Wars: Andor. The latter, in particular, allowed O’Reilly to show off her acting chops, as Mothma constantly found herself in difficult spots in the early days of the Rebellion. There wasn’t a scene that she appeared in that was worth skipping, especially in Season 2, which dedicated two entire arcs to Mothma’s story.

With Andor now over, Mothma’s future in the franchise is up in the air. It just doesn’t seem like Lucasfilm is going to spend much more time exploring the years between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. Fortunately, the character is just as important in the New Republic era, which Ahsoka and the rest of Dave Filoni’s shows will continue to take place in.

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