Faye Marsay

"There are parts of you that you would never really act out in real life that, all of a sudden, you're given this sort of free rein, in one sense, to explore. When I really believe in something, I really fight for it as Faye. So that was a really similar connection I had to Vel [Sartha]. Most people do. Most people, if they believe strongly enough about something and believe it's right, will stand up for it. So I enjoyed all that side of her."

―Faye Marsay^[2]

Faye Marsay is a British actress^[1] cast as Vel Sartha in Star Wars: Andor. She is best known for playing the Waif on Game of Thrones, and for roles such as Anne Neville in the historical drama series The White Queen, Candice in the drama-comedy series Fresh Meat, Katherine in the thriller series Bancroft, and Blue Coulson in the Black Mirror episode "Hated in the Nation."^[1]

Biography

Faye Marsay initially had not seen much footage of Star Wars. When she knew she would be auditioning for Vel Sartha in the Star Wars: Andor television series, she watched Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and a few other films, but she was not much of a fan. She felt that Rogue One stood out because it was linked to the show's story. After Marsay got the part, she did a little research on Star Wars. She felt more pressure from joining Star Wars than when she joined the show Game of Thrones because she was playing a main character. She was told the breakdown and what actors she would work with so that she could prepare. She knew about Sartha's relationships with Cinta Kaz and Mon Mothma. She felt that Tony Gilroy and the other writers succeeded in grounding the series in something that people could identify with.^[2]

Faye Marsay as Vel Sartha in her character poster

To prepare for playing Sartha, Marsay looked at different groups of women who felt compelled to be part of a cause and read the book Shoot the Women First, which is about female-led rebellions. Marsay felt that she brought a part of herself to her performance as Sartha. She enjoyed that Andor showed Sartha's human side and her feelings. Marsay loved how the writing gave her much freedom to explore Sartha's human side, what makes her human, and the things that upset and frighten her. Marsay liked how Sartha's clothes blended in with where she was, and she was not entirely sure which outfit Sartha was most comfortable in due to moving around the galaxy. Sartha's rebel outfit was made to fit Marsay, and she felt lucky and spoiled to have the costume. Sartha's Coruscant outfit took longer to get ready for due to the hair, makeup, and costume. Marsay said the costume felt amazing and was her favorite. She wanted her character to help normalize LGBTQ+ relationships.^[2]

Scenes on Ferrix were filmed in an intricate set in Little Marlow, Buckinghamshire.^[3] According to Tony Gilroy, everything on Ferrix was filmed first.^[4] During the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,^[2] scenes on Aldhani were filmed at the Cruachan Dam and the surrounding mountains in the Scottish Highlands.^[3] The actors had to follow COVID-19 guidelines, but they still managed to have fun.^[2] Scenes in the Chandrilan embassy were filmed in a practically built set that had a wraparound LED screen that used StageCraft technology.^[5] Scenes in Luthen Rael's gallery were filmed in a set designed by^[6] production designer^[7] Luke Hull.^[6] Marsay said working on the show was very hard work for super grueling hours. After the series ended, Marsay felt that Sartha belonged to everyone that gets something from Star Wars, and she thought it would be cool if Sartha lived on in a different medium. She loved watching Star Wars: The Mandalorian television series, which she viewed as completely different to Andor.^[2]

Works

Filmography

Year	Title	Series	Contribution(s)
2022	"Aldhani"	Star Wars: Andor	Vel Sartha^[8]
2022	"The Axe Forgets"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[9]
2022	"The Eye"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[10]
2022	"Announcement"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[11]
2022	"Narkina 5"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[12]
2022	"Nobody's Listening!"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[13]
2022	"Daughter of Ferrix"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[14]
2022	"Rix Road"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[15]
2025	"One Year Later"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[16]
2025	"Sagrona Teema"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[17]
2025	"Harvest"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[18]
2025	"What a Festive Evening"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[19]
2025	"Messenger"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[20]
2025	"Welcome to the Rebellion"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[21]
2025	"Jedha, Kyber, Erso"	Andor	Vel Sartha^[22]