Ewan McGregor, who has played the legendary Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for over 25 years, was honored yesterday with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, attended by his family, friends and colleagues including Hayden Christensen. The star is situated just a few feet away from the star that honors the late Carrie Fisher.
“The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is excited to honor Ewan McGregor in celebration of his exceptional career and accomplishments with this dedication ceremony,” said Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez. “His portrayal of iconic characters has left a lasting impact on fans worldwide.”
The Hollywood Boulevard ceremony opened with a speech by writer-director Mike Mills, who worked with McGregor on the 2010 film Beginners. The movie was very personal project, and Mills spoke about McGregor’s support during production and his willingness to put everything into the role.
“With this little look, he said [to me], ‘I am a very curious person. I’m game. I want to do what I’ve never done before, and I’m up for it,’” Mills said of McGregor’s attitude during the project. “I feel like that’s in all of his performances. You get the sense that this is someone who loves it and is up for it.”
Hayden Christensen, his colleague, collaborator, and Anakin to his Obi-Wan, was also on hand during the ceremony to speak about his lifelong friend – whom he considers a brother.
“Ewan McGregor is one of our great actors,” began Christensen, “and, in my opinion, the coolest person on the planet.”
Christensen spoke about their first meeting before the filming of Episode II: Attack of the Clones. Already a fan of his work, he looked forward to meeting McGregor when production started in Australia – and wasn’t disappointed.
“It was immediately apparent to me that I was meeting someone truly special, and not just as an actor, but as a person. I was meeting a friend. A friend who would later go on to chop off both my legs and leave me for dead on the side of a volcano,” Christensen joked.
“To watch him embody this character, it’s like watching magic… the kind that really makes you believe in something bigger. He wasn’t just playing Obi-Wan. He was Obi-Wan. He is Obi-Wan.”
“I want to thank you for being the best Jedi Master that anyone could have ever hoped for… I love you, brother.”
In his acceptance speech, McGregor thanked all the fans and his colleagues with a big grin. “I’m so moved that I’m close to my old friend Carrie Fisher on the pavement here. That means a great deal to me,” he said.
“I’m so blessed to be able to live a creative life,” he told the gathered crowd. “I get to create stories with all these amazingly creative people.
“We all come together and we exercise our creativity as a group to make something that’s capable of changing the world. We make something that makes people feel, and makes people think, and therefore can make people change. I think that’s the most amazing privilege to do that.”
Watch the ceremony in full here (starts at around 14:45 minutes in). We send our congratulations to Ewan and his family on this accolade.
