Bailey Smith’s love for “Star Wars” started when he saw “Return of the Jedi” in theaters in 1983. Little did he know that, decades later, he’d join a series set long before the Skywalker saga. In an interview with StarWars.com, Bailey Smith explained the incredulous moment when he first learned that he’d nabbed a role in “Andor” while riding a bike during the pandemic:
“And I got a call from my agent and she said, ‘Remember that thing that you did? The sergeant major type?’ I was like, ‘No, not really. I’ve done so many.’ [Laughs.] She said, ‘Oh, well, you got it.’ I was like, ‘Oh, great.’ And she said, ‘And it’s not a wartime espionage thriller. It’s ‘Star Wars.’ ‘Andor.’ ‘Rogue One’ prequel.’ And I remember wobbling on my bike, and then I stopped, and I just couldn’t stop laughing.“
Of course, the fact he got cast in “Andor” wasn’t a laughing matter. Bailey Smith explained as much: “It wasn’t that it was funny. It was so unreal.” It’s one of those moments in life that comes so far out of left field that doing the opposite of crying seems appropriate. I’d argue some of that initial shock probably came from the fact that the initial audition was for a role that seemed outside the norm for “Star Wars” until “Andor” came around.