Kumail Nanjiani’s character in Obi-Wan Kenobi has had a lot of mystery surrounding him, but now there are some interesting new details that reveal more of his story.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Nanjiani reveals shares more about his character and the new Star Wars location.
“His name is Haja. And he’s this guy who works on the streets of Daiyu, which is this new Star Wars location that we haven’t seen before that’s absolutely gorgeous. And he’s the guy who’s worked really hard to stay out of the bigger conflicts at play. He just kind of wants to be his own guy. Survival for him is all that matters.”
Considering the Obi-Wan Kenobi trailer shows a worried-looking Haja, it’s not likely he’ll be able to steer clear of trouble for very long. In the series, Kenobi is on the run from the deadly Inquisitors, and if Nanjiani’s character is in any way involved with the fallen Jedi, he’ll probably be in their crosshairs too.
Nanjiani described Haja’s motivations and where he fits into this Star Wars story. “He’s this sort of con-man guy who cons people for money,” said Nanjiani. “That’s what’s important to him. And then he has a run-in with Obi-Wan and suddenly he sort of gets stuck in the bigger conflicts at play, which is the thing that he really tries to avoid. So he is this street-level con-man guy who then gets embroiled in stuff that’s way too big for him. And he has to make a choice.”
The actor talked about first meeting Ewan McGregor and how nerves were a problem for him. He referred to McGregor as one of the greatest actors of all time, and he couldn’t believe that he was in a scene with him. But, he also shared that if he gave himself a moment to geek out, he wouldn’t be able to do the scenes well.
This makes yet another milestone for the admitted geek, having roles in Marvel’s Eternals as Kingo and in X-Files. Fans will have to wait and see if Haj remains true to his con-man characteristics or if he breaks from his old ways when the series comes out.
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi premiere May 27 on Disney Plus.
