Ewan McGregor Says There’s Now a ‘Wave of Positivity’ About the Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor believes opinions about the Star Wars prequels have changed and admitted that he had a hard time accepting the films’ initial reception at the time.
During an interview with Entertainment WeeklyThe 50-year-old Star Wars actor explained that he sees a new “Positive Wave” when it comes to the prequel trilogy.
“Now I’m meeting the people we made these films for, who were kids of the time,” he said. “And our Star Wars movies are their Star Wars movies. Just as the films of Carrie Fisher, Alec Guinness, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford were ours, we are theirs. And it’s great that they were important for the children for whom we made them. It’s so nice to finally get that wave of positivity about them.”
Of course, this was not always the case. Upon the release of The Phantom Menace in 1999, the film received mixed reviews. Things only got worse over time…and with the release of Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, the trilogy fell short of many fans’ expectations.
“It was very hard for me,” McGregor said. “For him to come out and get hit so hard, personally, it was pretty hard for me to deal with. Besides, it was quite early in my career. I really didn’t know how to deal with it. I’ve been involved with things that just didn’t resonate much, but that’s different than doing something that resonates negatively.”
Likewise, young Darth Vader actor Hayden Christensen felt the power of critical backlash.
“When the films came out and the critics were very critical, of course it wasn’t easy,” Christensen said. “Because you care so much about this thing that you put so much of yourself into. So of course it’s difficult.”
The pair will now reprise their roles in the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series for Disney+.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi – Teaser Trailer Gallery
Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor as the iconic Jedi, while Hayden Christensen will appear as Darth Vader. They were joined by Rupert Friend, Kumail Nanjiani, Joel Edgerton and Moses Ingram.
Deborah Chow directed the upcoming series from scripts by Joby Harold.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
