Fans of the originalStar Warstrilogy have never been shy about sharing their opinions about everything that has been released sinceReturn of the Jedi, mostly in a negative way. Despite making a triumphant return to the franchise in 2022’sObi-Wan Kenobi,Ewan McGregorrecently opened up about how hard it was to star inThe Phantom Menaceand watch the terrible reviews flood in knowing that there were two further movies to be made.
Speaking in an interview published byVariety, McGregor addressed his thoughts on his original venture into the galaxy far, far away, and howthe character of Obi-Wan Kenobiwas not one that he ever really aspired to play. He explained:
It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. ‘The Beach’ was more important, and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice.
Going on to recall the initial reaction totheStar Warsprequels, the actor noted that while he loves playing the role of Kenobi, those brutal first reactions were not something he had anticipated. He continued:
“I am happy that I am this character for a lot of people, but when these films came out, they were so disliked. That was hard. The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered.”
Of course, now all anyone wants to know if whether there will be another round for McGregor as the Jedi Master. On that score, his comments are the same as ever. He said:
“I would love to do the second season, but there’s no talk of it yet. There is a lot going on at Disney.”
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Daisy Ridley Recently Opened Up About Backlash to Her Star Wars Movies
The backlash that McGregor remembers coming toThe Phantom Menacein 1999 is something that is mirrored in Daisy Ridley’s recollections of her time as part of the sequel trilogy over 15 years later.
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (null)
In a recent interview on theHappy Sad Confusedpodcast, Ridley, who will be returning to theStar Warsuniverse in a new sequel, recalled the way people reacted to the sequel trilogy, and observed that the upset she felt has not gone away. She said:
“I think it’s still upsetting, because you don’t want people to feel like you’ve not served the thing they’re a fan of. But [The Last Jedi] was so divisive, so it really felt like the first one was fairly…everyone was responsive in a similar way. And then, Rian’s one, super divisive, and then the last one, super divisive. It didn’t change how I felt about it.”
TheStar WarsSaga can be found at its permanent streaming home of Disney+
