In Season 2 of Andor, K-2SO made his return. His witty humor was a solid contribution to a stellar series. Recently, we found out that the actor Alan Tudyk improvised the line “No” when K-2SO was confronted by an ISB officer. This is not the only moment that Tudyk provided subtle enhancements to the show and the movie Rogue One.
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Tudyk and K-2SO
In this memorable scene, K-2SO walked right at an ISB officer as he made his way to help Cassian and crew. As he approached, the officer asked him, “Are you with us?” After a brief pause, K-2SO responded, “No”, before hitting the officer over the bridge wall. It’s a great response that aligns with K-2SO.
As fans here were quick to notice, Alan Tudyk improved this short line. As one post added, the actor “apparently had a massive grin on his face” when they did this scene, while another recognizes how Tudyk was granted room to improvise because of his “reputation” for having “amazing comedic timing.”
Tudyk has been recognized as “an award-winning, multi-dimensional actor” with credits from stage to voiceover work. His roles include the “snarky, security droid” K-2SO and Hoban Wash Washburne in the series Firefly. It had been 10 years since Tudyk first emerged as K-2SO in Rogue One.
The actor has indicated that he thinks “a lot of K-2 is me” and that he identifies with the character’s humor and “childishness.” He “always saw K-2 as a child”, which contributes to what lines he comes up with.
For the bridge scene, Tudyk specified in the above Star Wars article that the original line was for K-2 to tell the officer his “former designation” but how that “didn’t feel right.” So, we wound up with “No” right before striking the officer.
Lines that Tudyk Improvised for K-2SO
Among the memorable lines that Tudyk improvised while playing K-2SO was before the last mission in Rogue One. We can watch it here and hear how it was the actor’s favorite from the movie. It occurred when K2 said to Jyn Erso, “I’ll be there for you…Cassian said I had to.” This line and others, of course, delivered with perfect paused timing.
Another excellent improv line in the movie was when K2 slapped Cassian and said, “And there’s a fresh one if you mouth off again.” Tudyk explained how the whole scene came together with Diego Luna in the moment. Moreover, this second video reveals how Luna ended up laughing afterward, and how his smile made it into the film.
In his commentary about Andor and K2 in this Star Wars Explained, Tudyk talked about how Season 2 was different from Rogue One, but he was able to “maintain continuity” with the character. He was also able to identify with what made K2 unique by grabbing onto how the droid says “whatever is in his circuits.”
K2 essentially says “what’s on his mind”, and that aspect of the character has inspired Tudyk to come up with memorable improvised lines. By doing so, Tudyk has joined a trend in Star Wars.
As this article reflects, Harrison Ford’s improvised line for Han Solo before being carbon frozen is among Star Wars “gold.” Tudyk’s improvisation may shift more “toward the humorous than the heartfelt,” but it similarly contributes to the “grounded” performances in the saga.
That the actor was able to fit in some improvising into Andor is all the more impressive because of the writers’ strike that occurred during filming. A great line that Tudyk snuck in before the strike was in Episode 11 when Cassian was leaving for the rescue mission. We may well remember how K2 said, “I’ve been counting the orders we’ve disobeyed so far. Would you like to know how many?” Eventually, adding “Eighteen.”
“No” from K-2SO
The “No” line from K-2SO is a reflection of the improvised work that Alan Tudyk has done for the character. We find that Tudyk has provided this in-the-moment boost to the character on many occasions. From Rogue One to Andor, Tudyk has given the extra edge to K2 to make him memorable, humorous, and endearing.