The last time Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen squared off as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, Anakin still hadn’t completed his transformation into Darth Vader. But ten years after their duel on Mustafar, the former Jedi brothers-in-arms are finally getting a rematch. This time, Christensen has the Sith Lord’s iconic suit to throw his enemy off-balance. Ewan McGregor shares.
In a new interview with Total Film (via GamesRadar+), McGregor described what it was like to see Christensen in character while shooting Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series. Christensen wore Darth Vader’s costume for just a few scenes at the end of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. However, McGregor wasn’t in those scenes. So when his old co-star showed up on set in the full Darth Vader outfit, it took a little bit of getting used to. In other words, McGregor didn’t have to act too hard when conveying Obi-Wan’s fear at the sight of his onetime apprentice.
“I’ve never met Darth Vader,” said McGregor. “I had rehearsed the scene with Vader, but not with the helmet on or anything like that. When we came to do the scene, when they shouted ‘action’, he had to come from behind me. I turned around, and f***ing Darth Vader was coming at me. It was like I was six again. I’d never acted into Vader’s helmet. I’d never looked him in the eye.”
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“It scared the s**t out of me,” continued McGregor. “I’m not joking. It gave me a proper jolt of absolute fear. I was like, ‘Oh my God, that’s not acting. That’s real. I’m really, truly frightened right now.'”
McGregor also discussed how the show’s practical sets contrasted with his experience on the Star Wars prequels, which were filmed with CGI clone troopers and digital sets.
“The same thing would happen with the Stormtroopers,” added McGregor. “I’d worked with Clone troopers before, but so many of them were CGI. I never worked with Stormtroopers, and, again, I was like seven years old again. Because when you’re actually faced with a Stormtrooper, with a blaster, it’s like: ‘F***ing hell.’ […] It’s like actual childhood memories of being scared. That’s how deeply it’s in us. I’ve acted for 30 years, and I’ve never been genuinely frightened when I’m acting frightened… But I had moments on this that were genuinely quite scary. It’s so funny.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere with two episodes on Disney+ on Friday, May 27.
Are you looking forward to watching McGregor and Christensen share the screen again? Let us know in the comment section below!
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