Starting with the 1999 film The Phantom Menace, the Emmy-winning actor Ewan McGregor took on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in George Lucas’ Star Wars saga. While he has since reprised his role multiple times over the years, even starring in a spin-off series following his character, there remains one scene that left the actor with an unsettling experience.
The 53-year-old recalled feeling sick while filming the speeder chase sequence for the 2002 film in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, Attack of the Clones, as he expressed his frustration working with the new technological advancements in filmmaking.
Ewan McGregor’s ‘Sick-Making’ Experience Filming Star Wars Speeder Chase
The 2002 film Attack of the Clones embraced advancements in visual effects within the film industry. Utilizing blue screen technology for various scenes, the movie integrated animations and visual effects to enhance and complete these sequences.
However, working with the blue screen was not a very pleasant experience for Ewan McGregor, and things only got worse while filming the speeder scene, where Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi chase an assassin, who attempted to assassinate Padmé.
In a conversation with Star Wars Insider Magazine, the actor recalled filming the scene. He shared that although the whole city planet Coruscant was created through special effects, he and Hayden Christensen had to film the sequences in the speeder, which at times left him feeling sick.
There’s a speeder chase sequence at the beginning, which I’m really looking forward to seeing. […] But to do it, we were on a speeder that was rocking about, and it actually made you feel sick after a while.
McGregor described his experience as repeatedly riding a fairground attraction without a break. “It was like going on a fairground ride over and over again, where you’re not allowed to go have a hot dog,” he said before adding, “You’ve just got to keep doing it.”
“It was just a sick-making experience!” he further stated. Despite the discomfort, the actor shared that he looked forward to seeing the final outcome and believed that the final chase sequence would be visually stunning.
Ewan McGregor Expressed Frustration With Technical Challenges
Ewan McGregor also opened up about the challenges of acting against nothing but a blue screen. “It’s frustrating a lot of the time,” he said, as he shared his annoyance with the lack of physical presence on the set, noting that it was not something that he was used to.
“It becomes technical, and there’s nothing to play off. It’s not what I’m used to doing or what I particularly like doing the best,” he said. McGregor shared that filming with a blue screen lacked any sense of accomplishment while describing it as “walking through a dead space, and trying to be alive in it.”
There’s something very rewarding about cracking a scene with other actors and having achieved it — It’s like walking through a dead space and trying to be alive in it. We used to go on location and shoot in beautiful places, and light them. Now, you’re doing lines against a blue curtain and walking down. It’s the weirdest job you’ll ever do.
Despite his skepticism about working with special effects and the technological challenges, the actor was still optimistic about the final product, as he shared, “When you see the finished film, it’s quite awesome.” He found it strange and almost surreal to see how an isolated performance fits into the larger context of the film.
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones is available to stream on Disney+.
