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Imagine what it must feel like to appear in the first Star Wars film in 20 years only to realize that everyone thinks it’s the worst thing since Hitler. That’s precisely what happened to Ewan McGregor and the rest of the Phantom Menace cast in 1999. Back then, if you were a struggling actor and counted on the galaxy far, far away to be your Hail Mary pass in Hollywood, you would’ve been sorely disappointed, because that first movie was anything but well-received. We can laugh and joke and share those innumerable prequel trilogy memes on Reddit now, but for those who lived through it, the experience of being a part of the ensemble that made The Phantom Menace a thing was hell; a career-ender that immediately turned its cast into Public Enemy No. 1.
But don’t just take my word for it. McGregor was apparently reluctant to continue playing Obi-Wan, especially after the first film was “hammered.” As he explained it recently, per Variety:
“It wasn’t a done deal for me. I didn’t think it was at all who I was. I believed, at that point, I was a Danny Boyle actor. The Beach was more important and I meant it, it wasn’t flippant. I did ask a lot of people for advice. I am happy that I am this character for a lot of people, but when these films came out, they were so disliked. That was hard. The first one was panned and we still had to make another two! It was weird to be in a film that was hammered.”
But… all’s well that ends well, right? McGregor may have dreaded his legacy while playing Obi-Wan in the prequels, but those days can only be looked back on with fondness when you happen to be one of the most beloved characters in Star Wars history. And I think, all things considered, McGregor was one of the lucky ones, because not everyone made it out of that maelstrom as well as he did.
McGregor continued to add that he’d be down to return for Obi-Wan Kenobi, but “there’s no talk of it yet. There is a lot going on at Disney.”