Ewan McGregor has been acting since the 1990s, but he is most renowned for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. Though critically reviled, the prequels have gained a resurgence in popularity, not least because of McGregor’s performance.
His popularity was more than obvious at this special evening event at Fan Expo Canada in Toronto. McGregor needs to speak only two simple words to drive a crowd wild. And he knows it. McGregor took to the stage with his now memorable ‘Hello there’, before talking about all things Star Wars.
Journey to Star Wars
Ewan McGregor was six-years-old when Star Wars: A New Hope came out. He was at the "perfect age" to love the film. And, it helped that his uncle, Denis Lawson, starred in the film as Wedge Antilles. So, how did Star Wars end up in McGregor’s future?
McGregor was in drama school from the ages of 17-19, and then left early to work with Dennis Potter, one of Britain's premier television writers, on a series called Lipstick on Your Collar. A year later, McGregor teamed up with director Danny Boyle on Shallow Grave, which, in McGregor’s words “left a mark on British cinema.”
But McGregor always felt "ready," and he’s aware it makes him sound arrogant. He jumped into playing distinct roles in different kinds of features before starring in Trainspotting. Right after, however, he starred in an adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, a choice he doesn’t seem happy with. It was more a role he believed he had to do, rather than wanted to do.
The 1990s were a grand time for McGregor, and several other British household names, including Jude Law, Johnny Lee Miller, and Sean Pertwee. McGregor said they felt like Oasis. They were flying high.
When he heard talk of more Star Wars being made, he wasn’t sure it was for him. “I wanted to carry on working with Danny Boyle,” he told the audience at Fan Expo Canada. “I just wanted to be his actor.” But McGregor went ahead and auditioned alongside hundreds of other actors. And then he got a call back. And another. Suddenly, the possibility of bagging the role and being in Star Wars was becoming a reality.
McGregor still wasn’t sure, and gathered advice from people he trusted, including his uncle and Danny Boyle, on whether to take the plunge. We’re glad he did.
Making Star Wars
McGregor said it was an amazing experience making Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. He explained that it was ‘cool’ working with George Lucas, and he loved working with Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, and Ahmed Best. In fact, Neeson was apparently hilarious on set. McGregor would try to make the mild-mannered George Lucas laugh as well, and nothing delighted him more than when he succeeded at making the director keel over with laughter.
But unfortunately, as we all know, the film was critically panned. And that was extremely hard for McGregor to deal with.
While the first film was filmed in Britain, the second one was shot in Australia — that’s where McGregor first met Anakin Skywalker actor Hayden Christensen. McGregor referred to him at the session as his ‘brother from another mother.’
Despite the hard work of shooting in front of blue screens and green screens, McGregor continued to have a great time working on the last two prequel films. The fight choreography was also a ton of work. McGregor and Christensen trained for months for their epic duels in Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith.
After the prequels, McGregor was ready to move on, and he’s worked on several other projects since. But then came social media, and the voices of the fans who loved the prequels, and especially Obi-Wan Kenobi came to the fore. It seemed like any and every interview McGregor did would end with the same questions — would he do another Trainspotting film, and would he return as Obi-Wan Kenobi?
Returning to Obi-Wan Kenobi
After being asked so many times, McGregor himself felt like he wanted to come back to the role. He thanks the original Obi-Wan Kenobi actor, Alec Guinness, for this. McGregor never got to meet the man himself, but he never lost his love for the original trilogy, and he’d read all of his books, so he felt like there was “this, like, thread between the two of us.”
And, once McGregor realized that people were waiting for him to return as the revered Jedi Master, he started telling Disney about it. He admits he probably sounded desperate for a job, but it worked. Obi-Wan Kenobi aired in 2022, despite many behind-the-scenes changes, including a change in director and original storyline.
In the end, Deborah Chow took over as series director, and the show focused on Obi-Wan and a young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair), instead of the originally planned story of Obi-Wan and a young Luke Skywalker. McGregor also shared that Indira Varma, who played secret Rebel Tala Durith in the series, made him laugh the most, especially just before cameras started rolling.
And now McGregor is working, or waiting, for the second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi. He assured the audience that he knows nothing of what’s happening with the season, but he is certain there’s a plan in place.
After delighting the audience with these stories, McGregor was asked one last question — was he a Rebel or would he fight for the Empire? Confused at this very obvious answer, he ended the evening by yelling, "I am the Rebellion.’" He truly is!