Varada Sethu opens up about playing Cinta in Star Wars show Andor: ‘I imagined her as a survivor of a genocide’

Varada Sethu, a British actress of Indian Origin, has shown her acting skills in both shows and films. The 20-year-old is best known for playing DS Mishal Ali in the BBC apocalyptic TV Series Hard Sun and has also appeared in the heist thriller Now You See Me 2 (2016). She has also featured in a Malayalam-language film English: An Autumn in London (2013).

The young star can be currently seen in Star Wars show Andor where she essays the character of the ruthless rebel Cinta Kaz. Talking about the same, she tells an Indian publication that Cinta is a very quiet character.

“She was written as someone who does not speak a lot, but when she does, she holds a presence,” Sethu tells The Hindu. “I think Vel (played by Faye) was described in the script as someone who is physically powerful and commanding, and Cinta is the one who looks meek, and may not be capable of violence. So, it’s a shock when people see her in action, which also ties into the ideology of women slipping under the radar.”

She further says, “To me, it made sense that she wasn’t saying a lot because this is someone who has been through so much and is suffocating on her own rage and anger at the injustice. So, why would she waste words, or her breath, talking about it. All you get is a glimpse of who she is and a throwaway line on how her family was slaughtered by stormtroopers. So, I imagined her as a survivor of a genocide.”

In addition to Sethu, the 12-episode series also features stars like Diego Luna, Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Stellan Skarsgård, Denise Gough, Genevieve O'Reilly, and Faye Marsay. Sharing her experience of working with Luna, the actress says, “He is an absolute darling. I was a huge fan even before the show. I studied Spanish in school. As part of that, you are encouraged to watch Spanish films, and I had watched some of his movies like Y tu mamá también (2001). He must have had a rough time shooting Andor. I mean, he is fluent in English. But it’s not his first language. If I had to study an entire script in Spanish, my brain would get saturated at some point. Likewise with Malayalam. I did a film (Pramadhavanam with Unni Mukundan) recently with Jayaraj. I speak Malayalam and I know Malayalam, yet I really struggled by the end of it. It just doesn’t feel like my first language anymore, which is really sad. But Diego was shooting for an entire year, away from his family in Mexico, yet he carried himself so well. That’s how I want to be if, and when, I make it big.”

Andor is currently available to stream on Disney+ Hotstar.