EWAN McGREGOR OBI WAN MORE TIME
EWAN McGregor has revealed when he was a little boy he dreamed of being Luke Skywalker but admits playing Obi-Wan Kenobi is not a bad compromise.
The 51-year-old actor, who is reprising his role as the Jedi Master in the new TV mini-series, says dusting down his lightsaber again and feeling the force is a dream come true.
Ewan, who was inspired to become an actor after watching his uncle Denis Lawson play an X-Wing pilot in the first Star Wars trilogy, admits he was even more excited about playing Obi-Wan second time round.
The Trainspotting star, who played the Jedi warrior in the three prequels, said: “I loved Star Wars when I was a kid.
“I remember I wanted to be Luke Skywalker with my own lightsaber so badly. Obi Wan isn’t a bad compromise!
“One of my earliest memories is of my parents picking me and my brother up from school to see the original Star Wars in 1977. I would have been six or seven-years-old.
“It was a huge thrill, not least because my Uncle Denis was one of the X-Wing pilots in it.
“He was in all of the original three Star Wars films but he also had an amazing career as an actor on TV, film and in many great musicals in the West End. He was the actor I looked up to the most when I was a kid.
“I wanted to be like him. He’s my inspiration to this day.”
Ewan, who first played Obi-Wan in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace back in 1999, admits he was over the moon when he was asked to do the Disney + mini-series.
He said: “I was surprised and delighted to be asked to reprise my role as Obi-Wan.
“He is a character I have always loved so I really was excited when this opportunity came up. The hardest part was keeping the secret for so long because the question of if I would ever return to Star Wars has come up pretty much since the prequels ended.
“I have always said I would love to but then I found myself having to give
the same answer knowing it was actually going to happen which became rather embarrassing.”
The dad-of-five, who wed actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 37, last month, added: “I would say that I’m probably more excited about playing Obi-Wan now than I was at any time back then.
“I feel more aware of what I’m part of now. Obviously, it was a huge deal for me when I was younger but now it feel even more special to be a part of the Star Wars universe.”
Ewan, who became a dad for the fifth time in 2021 with the birth of his first son Laurie, admits getting into character wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be.
He said: “Obi-Wan is older now of course as am I, although I’m not that old. He’s closer to the age Alec Guinness was when he introduced the character in the original Star Wars back in 1977, which is interesting.
“It was fun to play him although, I have to say, it took me a little while to find his voice again because it had been so long.”
In the TV series Obi-Wan is not in a good place and Ewan has promised lots of surprise plot twists.
He said: “It’s 10 years after the events of Revenge of the Sith and he’s kind of a broken man. The Jedi are all dead or in hiding and he’s lost Anakin to the Dark Side of the Force.
“He feels responsible and he’s hurting because of that. He’s now in hiding on the planet of Tatooine where of course Luke Skywalker is just a little boy so he’s watching over him from afar while battling his own demons. There’s a lot of surprises, lots of what people love about Star Wars and these characters.”
Ewan was also delighted to be back filming with Hayden Christensen who is also back having completed his transformation from Anakin Skywalker into the evil Darth Vader.
He said: “It was wonderful and spinetingling to be back with Hayden.
“I loved working with him on Episode II and III and although we’ve kept in touch over the years, this was the first time we had actually got to see each other for a long time.
“We actually met for the first time again during the lockdown. It was in a park in Santa Monica and of course we had our masks because of the whole Covid situation. So we had this long catch-up in secret knowing that we were both about to return to Star Wars.” Ewan admits he was shocked at how far technology has come on since he started shooting his first Star Wars movie back in the 90s.
He said: “What they can do now is just incredible. I’m sure I’ve mentioned before how a lot of the prequels were shot using blue screens and green screens which made it hard to imagine what was going to be seen.
“With Obi-Wan, a lot of what you see on screen is what we could see on set. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how it works but it’s pretty amazing.”
In Revenge of the Sith Obi-Wan says one of Star Wars’ most parodied lines – “It’s over, Anakin. I have the high ground,” before slicing his protégé in half.
Ewan said: “I’ve starred in so many movies but it is what Star Wars fans want to talk about when they meet me. I love it when kids come up to me and ask where my lightsaber is and how it works. I also get a lot of people shouting about how I’ve got the higher ground.
“I don’t think that will ever go away, certainly not now.”
And Ewan believes the Star Wars enthusiasts are going to go crazy for the new series and says it might bring forth another new generation of fans.
He said: “I think it’s something truly wonderful and I know everyone is going to love it – Star Wars fans and people who have perhaps never watched anything Star Wars before.
“I know there is a high level of expectation but this won’t disappoint. It’s brilliant.”
Episode One of “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will air on Disney+ on May 27.