It was going to be a difficult task to play Obi-Wan Kenobi after Alec Guinness’ incredible portrayal of the powerful Jedi but Ewan McGregor somehow managed to live up to the high expectations. After starring as the Jedi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Ewan McGregor got to play the character yet again in a Disney+ miniseries named after Obi-Wan Kenobi.
After the success of the miniseries, fans were left wondering if Ewan McGregor would ever return to the Star Wars universe to play Obi-Wan Kenobi one more time. While it looks like a second season of the miniseries may not be possible, the actor seems more than hopeful that he is not done playing the character just yet.
Ewan McGregor Is Not Done with Obi-Wan Kenobi
No matter where Ewan McGregor goes or what he does, he is always going to be asked about Star Wars. It’s just one of the many perks that come with being a part of a massive and beloved franchise. This is exactly what happened during his interview with LADbible. While McGregor was there to promote his latest series, A Gentleman in Moscow, they found a little window to discuss his future in the Star Wars world.
When asked if he will be playing Obi-Wan Kenobi again, McGregor seemed rather hopeful. While he wants to play the character, he isn’t sure if Disney will be making a season two of the miniseries, after all.
“The truth is I’ve talked about having to cover for doing the Obi-Wan season for years, I had to lie about that and I’m not lying about this now. I don’t know. There’s been no phone call to me from Lucasfilm, or Disney saying, ‘Let’s do another one’. Obi-Wan was made as a limited series and it’s out and people like it, which I’m very, very pleased about.”
He added that there was still a good gap between his age and that of the late Alec Guinness in the first Star Wars film, which leaves some time to tell more stories with McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
“I love doing it. I hope we get a chance to do another one and I’m sure we will. I’m pretty sure, you know, I’ve got a few years yet before I’m the same age as Alec Guinness was in A New Hope. So there’s time to tell more stories in there.”
It looks like McGregor loves playing the Jedi almost as much as the fans love watching him as the character. Here’s hoping this chapter of his life hasn’t reached its conclusion.
Ewan McGregor Might Not Have Played Obi-Wan Kenobi
After the release of Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, the film wasn’t met with the welcome creators had hoped for. While it made over a billion dollars at the box office, the reviews were pretty underwhelming. Of course, the three films are now considered to be some of the best Star Wars films ever.
Eventually, McGregor got his own miniseries for which his performance was highly praised. CNN’s Brian Lowry wrote, “[McGregor] proves [to be] an enormous asset, perfectly capturing the legendary Jedi at this stage.” Needless to say, everyone loved him as the titular character.
However, when he was initially offered the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi, he was quite hesitant. In an interview with Variety, McGregor stated that he was more of a “Danny Boyle actor” and didn’t think Star Wars was for him.
“It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. ‘The Beach’ was more important and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice. I am happy that I am this character for a lot of people, but when these films came out, they were so disliked. That was hard. The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered.”
We are glad that he decided to stick around despite his initial judgment! After his brilliant performance, we cannot imagine another actor taking his place in the Star Wars universe.
You can stream the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+.
