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The actress who plays Mon Mothma in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is extremely similar in appearance to the A New Hope actress.

In the actual casting process, how did they manage to find someone so similar looking? How many people did they need to interview to get this close?

Mon Mothma before and after

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    I'm just going to guess the wonder of makeup?
    – user34899
    Dec 17, 2016 at 0:28
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    The same actress also played a younger version of Mon Mothma in a deleted scene from Revenge of the Sith. youtube.com/watch?v=iBGJTiyvd90
    – MattD
    Dec 17, 2016 at 2:27
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    They wouldn't meet them at all. It would all be done with headshots.
    – Paulie_D
    Dec 17, 2016 at 7:48
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    @MattD - how exactly is this movie trivia? I'm not asking if it was the same actress. i'm asking what process was used to find an actress that looked so similar.
    – DVK
    Dec 18, 2016 at 7:01
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    "You there, casting director! Find me someone who looks like this." Casting director puts out a call, asking for slim pale-skinned women in the right age group (hair and eye colour can be modified if necessary); studies several hundred photos; calls in the most promising candidate(s) for audition. Job done.
    – Royal Canadian Bandit
    Dec 19, 2016 at 9:38

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In The Order of the Stick (webcomic) #431, Redcloak discusses that he has created three decoys for Xykon. Xykon is an epic lich sorcerer who looks like an animated skeleton with fiery eyes and blue and red robes.

MitD: How did you get them to look exactly like Xykon?”

Redcloak: I didn't. They're human skeletons. I put a blue robe on them and called it a night.

The Sapphire guard on the other side of the battle already expects Xykon coming into battle, so any similar looking figure will make them believe it's Xykon.

(Image of the Three decoy Xykons from strip #428

(Image shows the three decoy Xykons from strip #428. Does not show the real Xykon.)

Mon Mothma is exactly the same case. The actor in Rogue One doesn't need to be an “exact clone”.

Mon Mothma is in a rebel base among other rebels, just where you expect her to appear. She's surrounded by rebel solders of various species, most of who wear combat uniforms. Mon Mothma sticks out of those soldiers and pilots like a sore thumb, because she's about the only one who's in civilian clothes.

Further, even among civilians, Mon Mothma wears very a recognizable style of clothing and accessories. The white robe and the unusual necklace does all the work. With that costume and a little bit of hairdresser work, many women who aren't even similar could play a convincing Mon Mothma. Every moviegoer will look at the clothes and role and behavior, rather than the neck or jaws or height or other hard to alter physical details.

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