Simon Kassianides on his rewarding return to The Mandalorian
Fortunately for fans of Bo-Katan’s (Katee Sackhoff) elite Nite Owl squad – who made their first appearance in season two with a timely rescue of Din (Pedro Pascal) and his ward, Grogu – hope returns with the re-entry of warrior Axe Woves (Simon Kassianides) to the franchise.
“The reason I’m back is a dream come true,” Simon, 43, tells TV WEEK.
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“It’s clear that Axe has been busy with the Mandalorians who have become mercenaries, and I’m in charge of the mercenaries. We’ve totally broken off, and we get paid for jobs and we go off. Bo comes to find me and the Army to convince us to join forces.”
For Simon, putting the Mandalorian helmet back on was a treat, after years in roles such as fixer Nick D’Amato in legal dramas Suits and Pearson, and HYDRA operative Sunil Bakshi in Marvel series Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.
“I didn’t want to get typecast as the suit-wearing English bad guy,” he says. “I put a hard reverse on the trajectory of where I was going and spent two to three years trying to redirect my career towards more action-based work, hopefully bringing some of the drama to roles like that, which I found with Axe.”
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It’s an exciting time for Simon, who is speaking to TV WEEK over Zoom from the south of France, where he’s looking for a home and planning for his June wedding to partner Julia Westman.
“I’m involved with Warner Bros in Europe at the moment, writing and executive-producing roles I’ll either star in or direct,” he explains.
