Interview: The Cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi
This sci-fi adventure series is about Obi-Wan Kenobi who looks after young Luke Skywalker. His plans are to avoid the Empire’s most notorious Jedi hunters while exiled to the desert planet Tatooine. Obi-Wan’s brave characteristics are similar to General Makabe Rokurota in The Hidden Fortress.
Featured as the main character in the upcoming series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, McGregor will once again become the legendary Jedi master that all Stars Wars fans have come to love. The series has six episodes and will stream on Disney+ on May 27th!
Here is the scoop on the cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi!
The Cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan McGregor is the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan as well as the executive director of the series. Before taking a role in the Star Wars franchise, he was first involved in Lipstick on Your Collar. Since then, McGregor’s acting and directing have taken the entertainment industry by storm with his roles in Doctor Sleep and Beauty and the Beast.
Hayden Christensen is most known for playing Anakin Skywalker in the Star Wars movie series. Even though he has received criticism for his performance as young Anakin in the prequel films, Hayden will make a comeback in Obi-Wan Kenobi as Darth Vador. Besides Star Wars, the Canadian actor and producer have also played roles in the movies American Heist and Jumper.
Moses Ingram plays the mysterious girl named Reva who turns to the dark side. Although Reva is a fairly new character, Moses Ingram admits that her character is bold and passionate. She is most well-known for The Tragedy of Macbeth and The Queen’s Gambit.
Deborah Chow is the director behind the upcoming series. Her talents in directing and screenwriting have led her to create two short films as well as partake in the tv show, The Mandalorian.
Being A Part of Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ewan, Moses, and Deborah reveal their thoughts when it comes to participating in Obi-Wan Kenobi and the Star Wars galaxy in general. Ewan starts off by saying that “the end of every interview I ever did for years I was asked two things; would I do the sequel to Trainspotting, and would I ever play OBI-WAN Kenobi again.” Due to the love and support of his fans, McGregor decided to play Obi-Wan Kenobi again. After diving into different storylines, “I think we’ve ended up with a really, really brilliant story and one that will satisfy the fans sitting between those two episodes.”
Deborah Chow expresses her excitement about being a part of the series. “I was really excited at the idea of getting to do a limited series for one just because you get to tell sort of a bigger story, but you also have the time to really get into the character. So, I think, first and foremost, I was the most excited about doing a character-driven story and really kind of having the opportunity to get more depth and have more time to really get to know the character.”
Moses Ingram reveals her thoughts when seeing the script for the very first time. “I think when I read the script, that was the thing that attracted me the most, even though it was dummy sides. But later on, realizing that it was edgy and fun and cool, I couldn’t say no. I mean, it’s Star Wars.”
A Different Version of the Jedi Master
The storyline for the six-episode series takes place a decade after the Revenge of the Sith. Ewan McGregor explains Obi-Wan’s character change after the third episode. “The Jedi order are all but destroyed and those who aren’t killed have gone into hiding and they can’t communicate with one another. For 10 years, Obi-Wan has been in hiding. He can’t communicate with any of his old comrades and he’s living a pretty solitary life. He’s not able to use the Force. So, in a way, he’s lost his faith.” Obi-Wan’s character change is understandable as he loses his purpose.
The link to his past life is looking over Luke Skywalker, “so it was interesting to take a character that we know and love from Alec Guinness’ creation of the character in the seventies of this wise, sage-like, spiritual man. And then, the work that I did in Episodes I to III from the padawan, from the student to the Jedi to somebody’s who’s sitting on the Jedi council, to take that OBI-WAN and take him to this broken place was really interesting to do.”
Obi-Wan and Anakin Vader’s Relationship
Deborah Chow reveals her thoughts as the director of Obi-Wan Kenobi. “When we were developing the material and we were really looking at the character of OBI-WAN and what was important in his life, what are the relationships that were meaningful. And obviously, the history coming out of the Revenge of the Sith is so strong and it’s so powerful that it really felt like, for us, that obviously, there’d be so much weight coming into this story that was connected to Anakin Vader. So, I think it just felt natural that it would be Hayden and we would continue this relationship in the series.”
Ewan McGregor goes deeper into his relationship with Hayden when acting together. “I mean we just were so close when we met the first — we made Episode II and III together and we made them in Australia. So, we were both away from home and we had so much time training for the fights together and then, being on set together. But also, because we were so far from home, we spent a lot of time outside of work together as well. And so, we were close. And then, over the years, I guess, we had slightly lost touch. I hadn’t seen Hayden for years. So, when I saw him again and was able to talk about this project with him, it was very, very exciting.”
Reva as a Dark Side Character
Moses talks more about her character Reva and the qualities that had her hooked. “She’s really smart and she plays the offense and she’s always 10 steps ahead. She is a subordinate of Darth Vader and she’s going to do everything she can to get the job done to the best of her ability. And I think I was most intrigued by just her fervor for what she does.”
Moses continues to express her feelings about playing a dark character. “It’s fun to be bad and also, I feel like the weaponry and the stunt work, once you get to a point where your body is confident doing the moves, that plays into it as well as the costumes. Suttirat did such an amazing job, our costume designer. Like, building something that when you step into it, it lends itself to a feeling, you know what I mean?”
Lightsaber and Stunt Training
Moses Ingram mentions the training process when it comes to wielding a lightsaber and doing stunts. “It was cool. We trained for about four months before we ever even got to set. The everyday, regular strength and cardio, and then three days a week of Jedi school on top of that which, at the beginning was a little intimidating because I come in. We’re doing lightsaber work and, of course, he’s been doing this for years. So he’s like, flipping it and wielding it and I’m like, oh, God, I’m never going to get it. I look terrible. But, if at first, you don’t succeed, try and try again.”
Revisiting the Prequels
Ewan McGregor talks about his fondness for the prequels and their growing popularity over time. “I’ll never forget that feeling and how my relationship with Star Wars, all those original first three films. I mean that’s one of the crazy things about being in Star Wars now at all is that I’m in it, having been that little kid, you know. And so, once those kids who were my age, when the prequels came out, grew up a bit and I was able to meet them and I started hearing that people really liked them. They couldn’t understand why I thought that they weren’t liked when they came out. It meant a lot to me, so it’s really — I’m sure it’s one of the reasons why I wanted to do this again was because of that.”
What Audiences Should Know
Deborah Chow expresses her excitement to see the technology, StageCraft make its appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi. “I started using that technology, stagecraft, on Mandalorian. So, I was actually incredibly excited to be able to use it on Kenobi as well. I think one of the interesting things is in the first season of Mandalorian, a lot of the tech, advanced so much. Every passing year, there are advances. So, by the time we came to do Kenobi, already there were things that we could do that we couldn’t do in the first season. But it was also really exciting to be able to design and to develop material knowing that I was going to shoot stagecraft.”
Stream Obi-Wan Kenobi on Disney+ May 27th!
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