From Luthen Rael (Stellan Skarsgård) emphatically explaining what he sacrifices to the speech that Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) delivers in the Galactic Senate, many of Andor‘s best episodes feature iconic moments from other characters, but without Luna’s nuanced portrayal and satisfying arc as Cassian, the series would not have worked. It is this kind of expert performance that Luna brings to a movie that is an unexpected companion to Andor.
Diego Luna Stars In The 2025 Kiss Of The Spider Woman Remake
2025’s Kiss of the Spider Woman is a remake of the eponymous thriller that has previously been a novel, a stage musical, and a 1985 movie starring William Hurt. In the remake, Luna plays Valentin Arregui Paz, a political revolutionary imprisoned by the fascist government in Argentina during the Dirty War, and who is being kept alive because of critical information he has, which he stubbornly refuses to divulge.
Bill Condon directed and wrote the 2025 Kiss of the Spider Woman.
Valentin’s situation changes when he gets a new cellmate, Luis Molina (Tonatiuh), who transports them away from their misery and into the world of the movie The Kiss of the Spider Woman, featuring the actress Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez). As a story within a story, part of the 2025 film is set in reality, as Valentin and Molina grow closer and navigate their grim situation, while the other parts are in the fictional movie, with Lopez, Luna, and Tonatiuh playing the main characters. Luna’s dual performance as Valentin and Armando is impressive, but it is his scenes as Valentin that have the strongest parallels to Andor.
Kiss Of The Spider Woman Is The Perfect Andor Follow-Up
In both Andor and Kiss of the Spider Woman, Luna plays a revolutionary fighting against fascism who discovers newfound and unexpected hope while imprisoned. The prison arc in season 1 of the Disney+ series is pivotal for Cassian, as, despite the horrific circumstances he finds himself in, he finds hope in his fellow inmates. Cassian becomes a leader and leads the way in rising up the Imperials, culminating in the inspiring “One Way Out” charge, and Cassian soon after chooses to join the organized resistance against the Empire.
Valentin is already committed to the rebellious cause, but as he is continually tortured for information, his spirit and overall resolve understandably begin to wane. Initially, he is skeptical of Molina and has some of the jaded attitude that Cassian has earlier on in Andor. Within Molina and the story of the in-universe movie brought to life, though, Valentin finds beauty, humanity, and strength that change his outlook and that gives him a different way to fight back.
The parallels are further cemented by the tragic elements of Cassian and Valentin’s romances and how both the film and television series champion big and small ways to resist fascism. Cassian and Kino Loy (Andy Serkis) leading the prison breakout, the people of Ferrix rioting against the Imperial occupation, and Mon Mothma’s speech are essential and major revolutionary acts, but so is seemingly more mundane acts like the two individuals who took steps behind the scenes to ensure that the Empire would be delayed in taking Mothma’s speech off the air. Kiss of the Spider Woman has a similar approach, showcasing the grand sacrifices and the quieter moments of rebellion shared between Valentin and Molina.
Despite largely positive Kiss of the Spider Woman reviews and a buzzy debut at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, including potential Academy Awards buzz for Lopez, the movie only went on to gross $2 million in theaters after being made with a reported budget of $30 million. A lot of the marketing heavily featured Lopez and the glamorous musical scenes, which are vital to the film, but a downside of this is that it did not fully emphasize Luna and the deeply political story that connects so well to Andor.
Kiss of the Spider Woman is now streaming on Hulu.