Alec Guinness was widely known for his portrayal of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy and it’s also common knowledge that he hated starring in the films. The English actor had a complicated relationship with George Lucas’ franchise, but despite his disdain, he still went out of his way to fulfill his role.
Star Wars has evolved into a cultural phenomenon and no one expected its colossal success. Even the actor did not imagine his character would become one of the most popular figures in cinema.
Alec Guinness Still Agreed To Film Star Wars Despite Hating The Script
During his interview with BBC via YouTube, actor Alec Guinness recalled his first impression upon reading the script of the first Star Wars movie.
I was in Hollywood and just finished literally on the last day of a film when the script arrived and I thought, ‘Oh, George Lucas, that’s a name to conjure with in the avant-garde thing,’ and then opened it and saw it was science fiction.
Guinness wasn’t a big fan of the science fiction genre and outright thought “not for me” but when he started perusing the pages, he was engaged. “I started to read it and was held in although the dialogue was appalling,” he surprisingly remarked, adding that there was something about it that made him turn the pages. “Now that’s fairly rare in a script,” he quipped.
The actor also recalled the time he met George Lucas and thought they “could talk the same language.” Guinness confided that he didn’t have much confidence that the motion picture would become successful, something he later admitted was grossly wrong.
But I heard now, and then people disparaging the work, and I would say, ‘No, you mark my words, it’s being done with great taste and imagination. There’s something more to it than you think.
Despite his dissatisfaction with his character, the script, and the film altogether, Guinness still had positive things to say about the franchise. In fact, he said in his interview on the Parkinson Talk Show that people’s obsession with Star Wars was “a marvelous healthy innocence, great pace, wonderful to look at, nothing unpleasant.”
The movies gained momentum and from there, it started building itself up all thanks to the fans who loved and supported the franchise.
Alec Guinness Regretted Playing Obi-Wan Kenobi
Guinness would not be convinced to change his mind about Star Wars as he told in The Guardian that “apart from the money, I regret having embarked on the film.” It’s such a shame because Obi-Wan Kenobi is easily one of the most well-liked characters. The actor said of the films:
I like them well enough, but it’s not an acting job, the dialogue – which is lamentable – keeps being changed and only slightly improved, and I find myself old and out of touch with the young.
Interestingly, Guinness’ voice, which was digitally altered using archive audio, was used in both Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
All Star Wars movies are available to stream on Disney+.
