Ewan McGregor is an indispensable part of the Star Wars universe as Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, the actor was initially very reluctant about the role. The reason for this was the previous success of an indie film.
Ewan McGregor first donned the robe of Obi-Wan in the film Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999). Two more parts of the trilogy followed. In 2022, the character even received his own series.
But as the actor revealed to Variety on January 31, 2024, it wasn’t so certain for him that he would play the role. He had actually prioritized another film about Star Wars and wanted to stay in his comfort zone.
Here you see a trailer for Star Wars Episode 3, in which you can see Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan:
“I didn’t think it suited me at all”
Before Star Wars, Ewan McGregor mainly acted in smaller film projects. These included the indie film Trainspotting (1996) directed by Danny Boyle. In this, he played a drug addict trying to overcome his addiction.
Trainspotting became a major success for the actor. Since Danny Boyle was already planning another film project with The Beach, that took a higher priority for Ewan McGregor than Star Wars – he preferred to continue working with the director:
So the actor explained:
For me, it wasn’t a done deal. I didn’t think it suited me at all. I believed that at that time I was a Danny Boyle actor. The Beach was more important, and I meant it seriously; it wasn’t a frivolous decision. I asked a lot of people for advice.
Ewan McGregor, Source: Variety
But in the end, another Hollywood star, Leonardo DiCaprio, took the lead role in The Beach, and Ewan McGregor accepted one of the biggest roles of his career as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
For more on Star Wars, you can find it here with our colleagues at Filmstarts: The complete “Star Wars” timeline: All movies, series etc. in the correct order
What does McGregor think of Obi-Wan? Ewan McGregor continued: “I’m glad I’m that character for many people, but when these films came out, they were so unpopular. That was tough. The first film was panned, and we had to make two more! It was strange to be in a film that was poorly received.”
However, he would very much like to return to his well-known Star Wars role again and film a second season of the series. However, nothing regarding this is in discussion at Disney so far.
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