Andor's Kyle Soller Explains What Happened To Syril Karn's Dad [Exclusive]
Through nine episodes of "Andor" on Disney+, some fairly toxic relationships have popped up, none more so than the mother-and-son dynamic between Syril Karn and his domineering mother, Eedy Karn. Sure, the fixed marriage between Senator Mon Mothma to her husband and consort Perrin Fertha is fraught with problems. But at least they can bond over how miserable they are together while networking at cocktail parties on Coruscant.
From early on, it's clear that Eedy sees her floundering son as an epic disappointment who is wasting his potential. Seeing their pained interactions hints at a darker past that hasn't been revealed yet where Eedy may have some justification for the mistreatment of her son. Syril is finding new footing as a mid-level officer for the Empire, and if his confident interactions with ISB officer Dedra Meero in this week's episode are any indication, he may eventually make his mother proud.
Actor Kyle Soller plays Syril Karn with a surprising level of depth that foreshadows greater things to come for his character. Who knows? If he would have had a father figure in his life, maybe he would be much farther along by now. In an interview with /Film's Ryan Scott, Soller spoke in length about crafting a backstory for the Karn family that might explain having an absentee father.
Syril Karn may need a therapist
That backstory is, of course, not considered official "Star Wars" canon, although it did help Soller fill in some blanks about Syril Karn's troubled past. When asked if he had put any thought into who his father may have been, Soller had this to say:
"Yeah, a hundred percent. I had wound up working out my own story, and then I started collaborating with Kathryn Hunter about it as well. And we had kind of figured out the same thing, that he had left really early on, in a real acrimonious, horrible way. And that was a real launchpad for how Eedy then parents Syril, which is by being wronged and her anger and grief and disappointment and frustration of him leaving just got filtered into Syril."
Playing Soller's on-screen mother, actress Kathryn Hunter has to be incredibly domineering and cold toward Syril. A painful backstory must have been crucial for her to justify being so cruel in certain scenes between the two performers. Soller continued, acknowledging how a hard life with a single mother could have contributed to their unhealthy mother-son bond. "And growing up without a father is, that's a whole level of Jungian psychology that we could dive into," he said. "That's another podcast-length interview, but it's heavy and that absence definitely drives Syril as much as the dominating maternal influence."
Syril's faith in the meritocracy system of the Empire makes more sense if he's already been unfairly maligned by his mother. If he can rise up the ranks solely by his performance, Eedy's disapproval won't cut as deep. In future episodes of "Andor," it will be interesting to see how their relationship develops and if we ever learn anything about Syril Karn's mysterious father.