Ewan McGregor talks Obi-Wan Kenobi series: "I'm more excited this time round"
The Scottish actor is reprising his role as the iconic Jedi Master in a new Disney+ series.
Ewan McGregor has revealed that he can't wait to revisit his Star Wars character in Obi-Wan Kenobi series, saying he's excited about playing a slightly older version of the character.
The Scottish actor is set to reprise the role he first played in the prequel trilogy for an upcoming series on Disney+, with filming reportedly set to begin in February.
And speaking in this week's issue of Radio Times, McGregor discussed why he's so excited about taking on the role once again.
“I’m very excited to do it again – I’m probably more excited about it this time round," he explained. "I’m older, slightly wiser, maybe. The great fun part of it the first time was to try and be Alec Guinness, but younger. [Legendary actor Guinness was the first to play Obi-Wan in the original trilogy.] That was the acting challenge, as well as learning all the tricky fights."
But he says this time, the challenge the role poses for him are rather different.
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“Now I’m much closer in age to him – I guess he was in his 60s when he made the first Star Wars film, and I’m about to be in my 50s. Don’t tell anybody,” he says. “So now I’ll be able to bridge that gap a bit more, and it’ll be fun to find him in that place."
Back in June, McGregor explained in an interview with ACE Universe some other reasons he was looking forwards to returning as the iconic character, referencing the more advanced technology available now.
He said, "I’m just going to enjoy it all much more… It was technically quite complicated, I remember. It was all blue screen and green screen. It was hard to imagine it [the surroundings].
"Nowadays, things have moved on so much and I think a lot of what you see is going to be what we see on the set… I think it’s going to feel realer for us, the actors. I don’t know if you’ve seen any of the behind-the scenes Mandalorian series, but they employ that incredible screen and I don’t even begin to know how it works, but it’s pretty amazing.
“So when you’re on set, if you’re in a snowscape or something, well when you look around you see that and it makes you feel like you’re in the place. It’s going to feel realer for us.”
At this stage, not too much is known about what the Obi-Wan Kenobi series will look like, but recent reports suggest that it will take the form of a standalone miniseries rather than a continuing one series.
No further casting for the show has yet been confirmed, but there have been plenty of rumours suggesting another prequel star could reprise his role, with Hayden Christiansen linked with a return in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Read the full interview in this week's Radio Times, out tomorrow. Sign up to Disney Plus for £59.99 a year (or £5.99 a month). Check out our TV Guide for more to watch.
