Why Vel Sartha In Andor Looks So Familiar
"Star Wars: Andor" is a bold addition to the "Star Wars" franchise, supplying fans with deeper looks at the origins for both Diego Luna's breakout character of Cassian Andor from "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" and the Rebel Alliance itself. With this new vantage point of the universe, the Disney+ original series introduces a whole slew of brand new characters, some of whom have quickly become fan-favorites in their own right.
One major new player that "Andor" brings into the "Star Wars" canon is Vel Sartha. A fierce rebel leader, she crosses paths with both Genevieve O'Reilly's Mon Mothma and Cassian Andor himself over the course of the series. But while "Andor" is the character's first appearance, some fans of the series may not be able to shake the feeling that she looks eerily familiar. As it happens, the actress behind Sartha, Faye Marsay, is a prolific performer who has appeared in some of the best TV shows of all time. Here's some of the most notable credits from across her illustrious career.
The White Queen (2013)
Faye Marsay's first major role in the realm of TV came in the form of the 2013 period piece drama "The White Queen." Set in the British empire during the later years of 15th century, the show follows three separate women — all of whom are real-life historical figures — in their bid to use the then-ongoing struggle over the English throne to gain influence and power for themselves and their loved ones. Though it may have had a relatively brief run, it's one of those shows that historical drama fans need to watch.
Marsay portrays one of the series' three leads, Anne Neville, better known to historians as Queen Anne of England and wife of King Richard III (is that technically a spoiler?). Over the course of the miniseries, Neville orchestrates her and her husband's rise to the throne, but she finds that even having the power of a monarch is not enough to avoid matters of jealousy and sorrow. Suffice to say, she doesn't really get a happy ending when all is said and done.
Fresh Meat (2013)
Trading in the darkness of the Middle Ages for something far more contemporary and lighthearted, the next role of note for Faye Marsay is her part as a recurring character in the comedy series "Fresh Meat." A coming-of-age series in the vein of "Freaks and Geeks," the show follows a gang of college friends who all live under the same roof as they attend university together and contend with various undergrad struggles like romance and financial status.
Marsay recurs throughout the third series (the British term for a TV season, for those wondering) as Candice Pelling, a literature student who moves into the main cast's house after Kimberley Nixon's Josie Jones temporarily moves out. It's not long before she strikes up a small rivalry with fellow literature student Oregon Shawcross (Charlotte Ritchie) and a touching romance with Howard McGregor (Greg McHugh). Unfortunately, her new love story doesn't work out after she moves out of the house, and she's not seen again after that point.
Pride (2014)
While she may have quite a few notable credits across numerous shows, Faye Marsay isn't just a TV star. The actress has also made the jump to the silver screen several times, including a notable appearance in the historical dramedy movie "Pride." Set in the Britain of the mid-1980s, the film chronicles the efforts of a group of gay men and women as they organize a support group to assist numerous British miners that have engaged in a mass strike. Over the course of the movie, the group forges a strong relationship with the miners, who have similarly become a target of derision and harassment at the hands of the police.
Marsay appears as a member of the central Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners organization named Steph, who also happens to be the only gay woman on the team. Steph speaks with a cutting frankness and charismatic wit, and her nonstop refusal to pull any verbal punches leads to quite a few of the funnier scenes in the movie.
Doctor Who (2014)
Before she joined the "Star Wars" universe in "Andor," Faye Marsay made an appearance in another massively popular sci-fi franchise. The actress guest starred on an episode of "Doctor Who," the long-running British series about the adventures of the time-traveling alien known as the Doctor and his trusty companions.
Marsay appears in one of the many "Doctor Who" Christmas specials, specifically the episode for 2014, which features Peter Capaldi as the Twelfth Doctor and Jenna Coleman as his companion Clara Oswald. She portrays Shona McCullough, a young woman who becomes a temporary companion of the main duo after she is attacked by a dream crab and thrust into a subconscious version of the North Pole.
While Marsay only portrays Shona in this one episode, she was originally intended to be the Doctor's next companion in the event that Coleman decided to leave the role after the special (via Radio Times). Now, that's an intriguing alternate timeline for you.
My Mad Fat Diary (2015)
There's just something about Faye Marsay and appearing in British comedy-dramas. Notably, the star entered a recurring role for the third and final series of "My Mad Fat Diary." Following a teen girl named Rae (Sharon Rooney) in the '90s as she returns to everyday life after an extended stay at a psychiatric institution, the series infuses its exploration of mental health struggles with plenty of heartwarming moments and unexpectedly hilarious jokes.
Though she's only there for the abbreviated duration of the three-episode-long Series 3, Marsay's character, Katie Springer, throws a major spanner into the show's status quo when she finally joins the action. Initially purporting to be a supportive new friend for Rae, she soon shows her true colors, hooking up with the lead's love interest Finn (Nico Mirallegro) behind her back. The discovery of her emotional betrayal sends Rae spiraling back into her old destructive habits.
Game of Thrones (2015)
While Faye Marsay has appeared in plenty of acclaimed TV shows and movies over the years, the breakout part that many general audiences will recognize her from is none other than her major role in the dark fantasy series "Game of Thrones." Nothing short of a pop culture phenomenon, the show features a massive cast of characters that vie against one another for the Iron Throne of Westeros.
Marsay joined the ensemble lineup for its fifth and sixth seasons, appearing as a character known only as the Waif. A member of the Faceless Men and a master of disguise, she serves as the primary rival of Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) and attempts to thwart the girl's training. Though she very nearly manages to kill her nemesis on several occasions, we all know that Arya can never die. The Waif is ultimately beaten herself and faces one of the more...gruesome fates across the "Game of Thrones" cast.
Black Mirror (2016)
Following on from "Game of Thrones," Faye Marsay also appeared on yet another one of the most wildly-popular TV shows of the 2010s: the thrilling sci-fi anthology "Black Mirror." Focusing on a different vision of a dark technological future in each episode, the tone of each of the series' installments range from action-packed to hilarious to horrifying.
Marsay appeared as one of the stars of "Black Mirror" Season 3, Episode 6. Titled "Hated in the Nation," the episode is one of the best "Black Mirror" episodes on account of its well-developed plot and thought-provoking critique of the power of social media. The episode follows two detectives as they work to uncover a deep conspiracy when disgraced online public figures online start getting murdered one-by-one. Marsay portrays one-half of this detective duo, Blue Colson, alongside Kelly Macdonald's Karen Parke. While the pair do solve the mystery in the end, the fallout from the case has destructive consequences.
A Private War (2018)
Wouldn't you know it, we're rounding out this list of credits with yet another movie based on a true story that stars Faye Marsay. "A Private War" tells the moving story of Marie Colvin, a legendary American journalist whose reporting for The Sunday Times repeatedly put her on the front lines of global conflicts up until her tragic death in 2012 (via CNN).
One of the main characters in the film is Marsay's Kate Richardson, a fledgling journalist that Colvin mentors throughout her career. While most featured plot points in "A Private War" are accurate and based on real events from the real Marie Colvin's life, Richardson is one of the movie's most glaring fabrications, having never actually existed in reality. According to Time, the character was created by the film's writers to serve as an amalgamation of the many young reporters that Colvin assisted during her life.