Diego Luna On Saying Goodbye To Cassian Andor In Season 2: “It’s Sad, It’s Painful, But Also I Know How Lucky I Am”

It’s a bittersweet farewell for Diego Luna.

As the Star Wars actor walked the red carpet for tonight’s second season premiere event for Lucasfilm/Disney+‘s Andor, held at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre, he bid adieu to the character he originated in 2016’s Rogue One.

“I said goodbye to this character when we wrapped,” he told Deadline. “I had a beautiful opportunity to talk to the crew, to talk to the cast. [Creator] Tony Gilroy gave these beautiful words, we had a drink, we hugged, we cried. I’m going to miss this family.”

Season 2, which shot in London, follows the journey of Cassian Andor, who would ultimately serve as a forefather of the Rebellion in Star Wars. Season 1 ended with him on a freighter teaming with Stellan Skarsgård’s Luthen Rael, another Rebellion lynchpin. The final installment will trace the character’s life until the final moments leading up to Rogue One. (Spoiler: the character dies at the end of that film.)

Luna said he will cherish the show he and the team “delivered and that will stay there forever, but it’s the dynamic, it’s my every day life — what I have to say goodbye to. It’s tough, I went through, really, a lovely and challenging journey with these people and it transformed me somehow.”

Concluding, the Y tu mamá también star described, “It’s sad, it’s painful, but also I know how lucky I am that I had this opportunity. Many go through the journey of acting without living something like this, you know? I didn’t know it was going to happen to me, it’s been 10 years of my life, so I’m proud and honored to be part of this family.”

It’s a sentiment the actor echoed previously at the Golden Globes in January. “I can tell you, I’m sad … because it’s the last season! It’s the end,” he said at the time.

Watch the full moment below: