In a new interview with Variety.com, Ewan McGregor looks back on his career and playing Obi-Wan Kenobi for over 25 years stating “I really do hope we get a chance to do another one, I think there’s another few stories to tell in there.”
Being cast in George Lucas’ hotly anticipated prequel “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace” would prove tougher, even as it catapulted him to a new level of commercial success.
“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.”
Hayden Christensen, who played his young Padawan Anakin Skywalker in “Attack of the Clones” and “Revenge of the Sith” before assuming the character’s villainous alter ego Darth Vader in “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” remembers McGregor mentoring him not just in the ways of the Force, but in navigating the then-nascent ways of green screen acting. “The first time I met Ewan was in Australia,” Christensen says. “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,” Christensen adds. “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.”
McGregor’s own love for the franchise was what prompted him to take the plunge into Lucas’ cinematic universe, but it also forced him to compartmentalize that fandom as he explored it from the inside. “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 recalls. “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.” Portraying a younger version of Alec Guiness’ Obi-Wan Kenobi afforded him a welcome opportunity to research his predecessor’s filmography, and eventually gave him a benchmark to strive for as he’s returned to the role multiple times.
“I loved, more than anything, getting to know Alec Guinness’ work because I was playing him as a young man,” he says. “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, who’ll present McGregor with his Walk of Fame star, shares his enthusiasm for more “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” especially if it leads to another front-row seat to watch him in the role.
“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,” Christensen says. “Just as a fan, it’s so exciting to get to watch him play Obi-Wan — he’s just so good at it.”
Read the interview in full at the link below, and stream the actor getting the 2,789th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a dedication ceremony on Thursday, September 12th, 2024 at 11:30am PT here.
Image: Dan Doperalski for Variety
