Posted in: Disney+, TV | Tagged: Ewan McGregor, Obi Wan Kenobi, star wars

Ewan McGregor Wants More Obi-Wan Kenobi – Are You Listening, Disney?

Ewan McGregor reflected on his 25-year Star Wars journey as Obi-Wan Kenobi and shared his hope that there are still more adventures to come.

It's hard to believe it's been over a quarter century since Ewan McGregor embarked on his journey in Star Wars with lofty expectations to fill in the shoes of the late Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi starting with 1999's The Phantom Menace, the first episode of the Skywalker Saga as the original trilogy started with episodes four, five, six in 1977's A New Hope. The actor would go on to play the character three more times on screen with episodes two and three in Attack of the Clones (2002), and Revenge of the Sith (2005), and his triumphant return in the 2022 Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. McGregor spoke with Variety in a career retrospective and reflected on his journey in the George Lucas franchise, joined by co-star Hayden Christensen, who played both Anakin Skywalker and his alter ego, Darth Vader, across the latter two prequel films and the Disney+ series.

Ewan McGregor Reflects His Obi-Wan Kenobi Journey in Star Wars

As far as how McGregor started his franchise journey, his initial observation was how far along visual effects have come since Lucas stepped back into directing with the first three episodes, "It's always the same responsibility, to be believable in this character, in this story," he says. "In the 'Star Wars' world, it was in the early days [with] the technology, and the green screen doesn't aid the actor. It's not helpful."

Christensen, who will present McGregor with the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, not only played Obi-Wan's apprentice on-screen but also took the opportunity to embrace a chance to bond, learn, and make a life-long friend, "The first time I met Ewan was in Australia," he said. "I remember walking into the hair and makeup room, and he came over and gave me a big hug. Right away, I knew that I was standing in front of a friend. He really took me under his wing. It's easy to get caught up in the technicalities of making those films. But he always just brought it back to the emotional aspect of what we were doing." Similar to the trio of original trilogy stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher, Christensen and McGregor were joined by Natalie Portman, who played Queen, later Senator Padme Amidala, the would-be wife of Anakin and mother of Luke (Hamill) and Leia (Fisher).

McGregor recalled his upbringing in the franchise, which is more than coincidence considering his uncle is Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in four Skywalker films. "Me and my brother watched the first 'Star Wars' films a million times, like most people my age. They were so important to us," he said. "So I had to switch something off in my head to be able to cope with the bigness of all that and just get on with it." Getting into play a younger version of Guinness required research.

"I loved, more than anything, getting to know Alec Guinness' work because I was playing him as a young man," McGregor said. "Even now with the series, that's my personal challenge — if a take feels a bit like him, I'm happy." McGregor adds that even after 25 years, he hasn't tired of playing the role. "I really do hope we get a chance to do another one," he says. "Between where we ended off in the series and when Alec Guinness comes on screen with Luke Skywalker, I think there's another few stories to tell in there." Christensen, like his co-star, is optimistic Disney will renew Obi-Wan Kenobi or continue their rivalry in some form in the future, "If it means that I got to do more with Ewan, then that's a no-brainer, but I really hope that he continues with the character," he said. "Just as a fan, it's so exciting to get to watch him play Obi-Wan — he's just so good at it."

In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Christensen, who had already physically taken over donning the Darth Vader suit from the late David Prowse since Revenge of the Sith, also reprised his role after 16 years. Not only did we see Lord Vader in all his glory, but we also saw him in the Vader makeup when his former master split his helmet in half, revealing his heavily scarred face. Christensen was also able to use his voice alongside the original Vader voice, the late James Earl Jones, in the season one finale, not to mention as Anakin in his pre-Vader flashback sequences. For more on McGregor's career, you can check out the full interview.

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