ANDOR’s Adria Arjona Almost Played Qi’ra in SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY and Is “So Thankful” She Lost the Role

Adria Arjona eventually found her place in the Star Wars galaxy as Bix Caleen in Andor, but years earlier she came surprisingly close to joining a completely different corner of the franchise. Arjona auditioned to play Qi’ra in Solo: A Star Wars Story, a role that ultimately went to Emilia Clarke.

Looking back, Arjona couldn’t be happier with how things worked out. Missing out on Solo opened the door for Andor, and Bix became a character that clearly means a lot to her.

During an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Arjona talked about testing for Qi’ra alongside Alden Ehrenreich, who had already been cast as the young Han Solo.

The audition was held with the film’s original directors, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and considering how badly Arjona wanted to be part of Star Wars, the pressure hit hard.

"I was with Alden and Phil and Chris were there," she recalled. "I don't think I've ever been so nervous in my life. They put you in a suit and my biggest dream ever was to be in a Star Wars movie.

“I hadn't necessarily seen a Latin American woman like myself in Star Wars. It almost felt like I had to break that wall or at least somebody else, another Latin American, should break that wall and I would always root for them. But to me testing, it's like 'Oh my God, it's gonna be me.'"

Arjona didn’t land Qi’ra, with the part instead going to Clarke, fresh off her success as Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. There was no bitterness on Arjona’s end. At the time, simply getting that close to leading a Star Wars movie was a huge deal for her.

"I just wanted to be in Star Wars and the fact that I had the opportunity to be a leading character in a Star Wars movie was like, 'Wow this would be insane,'" she continued.

"I didn't think too much of it. Then Emilia got it and she's probably one of the best actresses out there, she's amazing."

It turned out to be one of those career misses that worked out for the best. Solo received a mixed response when it arrived in theaters, while Arjona later joined Diego Luna in Andor as Bix Caleen. The series ran for two seasons and became one of the most acclaimed Star Wars projects of the Disney era.

More importantly for Arjona, Bix became an incredibly personal character. "I'm so thankful I didn't get it because then I wouldn't have been in Andor and Bix is the only character I've tattooed on my body," Arjona added.

Now she’s trading Star Wars for DC. Arjona is set to appear in the upcoming Man of Tomorrow, the follow-up to Superman. Her role hasn’t been officially revealed, although there’s been plenty of speculation that she could be playing Wonder Woman.

Whether that rumor proves true or not, Arjona’s experience with Solo is a fun reminder that losing one major role can sometimes clear the path for something much better.