Ewan McGregor, the actor behind the young version of Obi-Wan Kenobi in the live-action Star Wars universe, has expressed support for George Lucas’ controversial prequel trilogy by explaining the creative’s vision.
Appearing for the Obi-Wan Kenobi press tour along with co-stars Hayden Christensen and Moses Ingram, McGregor explained why the younger generation loved the prequels, but the original fans didn’t receive it nearly as well.
“What we didn’t hear at the time was people your age, your generation. Those people now really love our films, but it’s taken us 15 years to hear that. It’s really nice, it’s changed my relationship with Star Wars. It’s different because of that I think. We really put our heart and soul into them, and they were difficult to make.”
Elaborating on why the Republic era was difficult to make, the actor continued by explaining the reason Lucas leaned heavily on CG imagery.
“There was so much green screen and blue screen because George was pushing into this new realm that he had designed, that he was responsible for. He wanted to max out that technology, but that meant for us that we were very much on blue screens and green screens, and it was hard work. To do that and be passionate about it and then for the films to be not very well received was really tough. So it’s really lovely to have that new relationship with them now.”
McGregor had previously said that he watched the prequels to prepare for his return in Obi-Wan Kenobi. He brought this up again during the press tour and praised Revenge of the Sith, saying: “I hadn’t seen them since they came out. In preparation for this show, to watch them again was pretty cool. I like them, Episode III was a really good movie.”
The actor is reprising the titular Jedi Master in Obi-Wan Kenobi after last appearing in Revenge of the Sith more than 15 years ago. The first two episodes of the new Star Wars show will premiere on Disney’s streaming service on May 27.
