Ewan McGregor, Hayden Christensen and the rest of the cast of the Star Wars prequels have had a rollercoaster ever since the movies were released over twenty years ago. The movies didn’t fare too well with critics, and the fans turned on them too – most famously represented by Tim’s (Simon Pegg) rant in comedy series Spaced. However, when McGregor and Christensen embarked on a press tour for new Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi – they found that many people had warmed to the prequels.
Crucially, with the passing of time, those who watched the movies as kids have grown up and now view them nostalgically. McGregor got quite emotional, talking about how the critical reception at the time was tough-going on the cast and crew. It was clear that he was very happy to be back as Obi-Wan.
McGregor has now spoken (in a Disney FYC video) about his emotional reaction to watching the sixth and final episode of the Star Wars series. “When I saw Obi-Wan Kenobi for the first time…I watched Episodes 1 to 3. They literally shut me in a room on my own, and I was so impressed. But when… I was sitting there, and I watched Episode 6… when I tell [Vivien Lyra Blair’s Leia], ‘May the Force Be With You,’ at the end, I burst into tears. I was sitting there… There’s something so moving about it.”
McGregor isn’t the only one who got emosh. Liam Neeson told Collider that they were crying during rehearsal for their shared scene; “It was Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan on a camel, a real camel, and me… we rehearsed it before we shot it, and we just started crying, and it was lovely. That Star Wars that we did, Phantom Menace, we shot it over 25 years ago. It came out in 1999, when CGI was in its infancy. That’s why it took so long for it to come out. It was lovely to do. It was great to do.”
Despite the emotions behind the scenes, Obi-Wan Kenobi was met with mixed reviews. It is not currently set to return for a second season, but neither was Marvel’s Loki – so things could always change. While we wait to find out, check out our guide to the best Star Wars characters.
If you’re eager for more Star Wars on Disney Plus, check out our guides to The Mandalorian season 3 and to Ahsoka.