Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s Joel Edgerton can trace his career opportunities back to George Lucas casting him in Star Wars.
Speaking to NME about his new role in Paul Schrader’s Master Gardener, Edgerton reflected on the personal impact of playing young Owen Lars in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones over 20 years ago. “I owe so much in my career to George [Lucas, Star Wars; creator] giving me that job,” he said, explaining how “it opened all the doors to Hollywood. It allowed everyone in L.A. to kind of welcome me and go, ‘Oh, he’s in Star Wars. Let’s give him an audition for other things.'” For Edgerton, reprising that part in Obi-Wan Kenobi was “a way to complete a circle of some kind.”
Edgerton also revealed what he added to Owen’s character on the show opposite prequel trilogy co-stars Ewan McGregor and Bonnie Piesse. “Everybody thinks that Uncle Owen is a grumbly, cantankerous ‘say no’ dude. I was like, ‘This is my opportunity to put a bit more context on that, and have people maybe like him a little bit more’. And I think we did that,” the actor disclosed. Edgerton also pushed for the Tatooine moisture farmer to see some action, stating, “My one caveat to them was, ‘I know what you’re planning with the story and how it unfolds, and I’m not asking for more screen time, I just want to do something cool. Can I at least have one fight? Can I at least throw my hessian sleeves up and get into one brawl?'” This request eventually led to the Obi-Wan Kenobi finale’s action scene where Owen and his wife, Beru (Piesse), defend their home against the Inquisitor Reva (Moses Ingram).
The Return of Star Wars Prequel Characters
Both Edgerton and Piesse appeared in Attack of the Clones and its sequel, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, establishing their connection to Anakin Skywalker through his mom, Shmi. Other returning Obi-Wan Kenobi prequel stars included Jimmy Smits as Bail Organa and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker, though Lucasfilm used the A.I. software Respeecher to reproduce James Earl Jones’ iconic Vader voice. Additionally, the finale featured cameos from Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor Palpatine and Liam Neeson’s Qui-Gon Jinn, marking the latter’s live-action return for the first time since Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.
According to Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Obi-Wan Kenobi Season 2 is not in active development right now. Despite this, McGregor wants a second season of Obi-Wan. Edgerton, meanwhile, will star in the upcoming film The Boys in the Boat and on the TV show Dark Matter, neither of which have official release dates.
Obi-Wan Kenobi is currently streaming on Disney+.
Source: NME
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