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Star Wars has captured the hearts and imagination of moviegoers for generations. While the fandom has been spoiled with new content since Lucasfilm was purchased by Disney, George Lucas’ prequels marked the first time the franchise returned to the big screen. Ewan McGregor starred as Obi-Wan Kenobi in all three installments, but the actor revealed the hardest part of starring in the infamous prequels.
The Star Wars prequels have been the butt of countless jokes throughout the years, with everything from the CGI sets to the dialogue being dissected. Ewan McGregor’s performance as Obi-Wan Kenobi is definitely a high point of the trilogy, although the Moulin Rouge actor explained the downside to his run in the galaxy far, far away. Namely the mixture of green screens and dialogue.
After three or four months of that, it just gets really tedious — especially when the scenes are … I don't want to be rude, but it's not Shakespeare. There's not something to dig into in the dialogue that can satisfy you when there's no environment there. It was quite hard to do.
Touche. Ewan McGregor’s run as Obi-Wan Kenobi (so far) required him to do extensive lightsaber training, while also relying on his imagination to fill in the colorful planets of the Star Wars franchise. Add in George Lucas’ less than Shakepearean dialogue, and it seems the dream gig got a bit grueling.
Ewan McGregor’s comments to THR what it’s really like working on a massively popular movie franchise like Star Wars. While most actors would give a limb to play in such an iconic property, film sets are notoriously grueling. Add in all the lightsabers and pressure, and it makes sense that McGregor might have occasionally had a hard time.
The Skywalker Saga is currently available on Disney+. You can use this link to sign up for the streaming service.
Later in the same interview, Ewan McGregor went on to explain the difference in returning to Star Wars for the Obi-Wan series on Disney+. While visual effects will still factor heavily into production, massive LED screens allow for certain settings to be projected for the actors. As he explained,
They project [the virtual backgrounds] onto this massive LED screen. So if you're in a desert, you're standing in the middle of a desert. If you're in the snow, you're surrounded by snow. And if you're in a cockpit of a starfighter, you're in space. It's going to feel so much more real.
It certainly sounds like Ewan McGregor has enjoyed returning to Star Wars with his upcoming spinoff series. It’s been over a decade since Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, so the actor has had time to work on a variety of other projects. And fans can’t wait to see the timeline of the Skywalker Saga further fleshed out.
Rumors about an Obi-Wan series began shortly after Lucasfilm announced that The Mandalorian would be the first of many live-action series. Ewan McGregor has aged appropriately for the show to reveal what his character did in self-isolation on Tatooine. And with Hayden Christiansen set to appear in some capacity, the storytelling possibilities are endless.
The Star Wars franchise will continue with shows as well as Patty Jenkins’ Rogue Squadron. In the meantime, check out the 2021 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience.
