Acting as an art form is hilarious at times when you hear stories from the behind the scenes. Even for adult actors, sometimes you have to find a really weird angle to get that perfect expression for a shot, so I can’t even imagine the mental gymnastics one would have to go through when you’re a child actor. Luckily, many performers seem to be very forthcoming with advice, especially for their younger co-stars. Ewan McGregor shared some advice he gave to a young co-star in the making of Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones, and it's impressive that it worked as well as it did.
During an interview on The Graham Norton Show, McGregor was asked about a scene he had with Daniel Logan, who played young Boba Fett in the 2002 Star Wars blockbuster. For those who can’t remember it specifically or want to pull the movie clip up and watch it later, the moment in question is when Obi Wan goes to Camino to hunt down Jango Fett and encounters his young clone. According to McGregor, the young actor had a bit of trouble expressing the right emotion, saying,
George [Lucas] was asking [Daniel] to — basically, he wanted him to be suspicious of me. The door opens, and I’m standing there and he had to be suspicious of me a bit. And George wasn’t — he wasn’t making himself clearer. And poor Daniel, who’s only a kid at the time, he was just trying all the wrong things.
McGregor, while unable to remember the name of his co-star or the original scene when addressed on the show, was able to recollect his advice well. His nugget of wisdom went as follows:
So, I just took him aside, and I said, ‘When the door opens, just imagine like I’ve done a terrible fart.’ And he looked at me, and he went, ‘What?’ I went, ‘Just try it.’ So I open the door, and he went [makes scowly face], and that’s the scene [they went with].
Hearing the anecdote, I obviously laughed (like everyone else on the panel). It’s pretty funny, because again, actors are able to get the perfect reactions from the most bizarre places. That’s nothing new, but like the rest of the panel, I also erupted in laughter when the ‘punchline’ hit and they threw up a shot from the scene:
Among sharing his behind-the-scenes shenanigans, McGregor has opened up about his involvement in the prequels, and their polarizing reception over the years. He has previously shared that the early 2000s were rough for him, something that co-star Hayden Christensen also shared his feelings on. Following the release of the Disney+ series Ahsoka and Obi-Wan Kenobi, there has been a kind of resurgence of the people who did like the original prequels. Christensen has said that there has been ‘vindication’ for his previous work.
While recently some works in the Star Wars franchise have been struggling to find its audience, cast members like McGregor have been vocal not just about their involvement but also their hope for the projects going forward. And that is very refreshing to see and hear as someone who grew up watching every Star Wars movie in order properly and backwards if the mood struck me but have been feeling like recent entries have some missteps.
Feelings about the prequels aside, I’m now going to be sharing the story of McGregor’s advice to Daniel Logan every time I rewatch Episode II. And right in time for May the 4th nonetheless. I think I found my 'hey did you know' for a new franchise.
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