‘Star Wars’: Ewan McGregor Says it Was Easier to Rewatch the Prequel Movies Now That He Knows ‘People Love Them’
Ewan McGregor played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel movies. The prequel trilogy wasn’t considered to be great upon initial release, but it has developed a lot of appreciators in recent years. McGregor recently rewatched all of the Skywalker saga to prepare for the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series and he says that it’s much easier to watch the prequels now that he knows more fans love them.
The prequel movies are becoming more beloved by ‘Star Wars’ fans
Upon release in 1999 and the early 2000s, fans weren’t sure what to make of the Star Wars prequel movies. While many fans enjoyed watching the transformation of Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen), fans also criticized some of the questionable decisions director George Lucas made. This includes an over-reliance on CGI effects, awkward dialogue, and childish humor, especially from Jar Jar Binks.
However, since the Disney sequel trilogy is a bit of a mess, many fans are beginning to appreciate the prequels for what they are. Yes, there are plenty of corny moments, but many enjoy these moments, especially ones including McGregor’s Obi-Wan. It also manages to tell a story that connects through three Star Wars movies, even if the story has some holes in its logic.
Ewan McGregor is happy that more people love the ‘Star Wars’ prequel movies
In an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, McGregor told guest host Mike Birbiglia what he did to prepare for his reprisal of Obi-Wan in Obi-Wan Kenobi for Disney+. The Scottish actor said that he rewatched all of the Skywalker saga movies since it has been an almost 20-year gap since Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.
“I watched all of them to prepare for this because the last one I did, we shot Episode III in Sydney, Australia, in 2003, I think. So it’s been quite some time — almost 20 years,” McGregor said.
While the initial reaction to the prequel movies wasn’t what McGregor wanted, he does recognize that time has been kind to these movies. Star Wars fans are more welcoming to the prequel movies which the actor said makes them easier to watch.
“It was tricky at the time,” McGregor explained. “They weren’t overwhelmingly embraced by everybody when they came out, our prequels. It was nice to watch them now knowing that people love them. That the kids who we made them for at the time — they loved those films a lot. It was nice to watch them with that sense.”
Playing Obi-Wan changed Ewan McGregor’s life and career
During the interview, McGregor talked about how interesting it was to watch Episode I: The Phantom Menace, which included Liam Neeson playing Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn. The Trainspotting actor was only 28 at the time and it truly changed his life as he had only been in smaller movies before that.
“It was such a huge thing to happen,” McGregor shared. “So to go back and watch that movie again was really great fun.”
McGregor is coming back to Star Wars in Obi-Wan Kenobi, which premieres on Disney+ on May 27.
