Ewan McGregor wields lightsaber again for ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

At age 51, Ewan McGregor can easily channel his inner 12-year-old.

Not many others can say they get paid millions for making lightsaber noises in their head.

“If you’re not making that lightsaber noise in your mind, you could miss the vibe,” the Scottish actor says on a Zoom call from Los Angeles.

He confesses to finding his inner Obi-Wan with his earbuds, too: “I listen to a lot of John Williams music. And I look to the sky.”

McGregor returns as the titular Jedi Master in the Star Wars spinoff miniseries “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” which debuts Friday on Disney+. He also served as executive producer.

Set 10 years after “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” the poor Jedi have already been destroyed by Order 66 and his former apprentice Anakin Skywalker who became the Sith Lord Darth Vader. Obi-Wan is watching over Luke Skywalker on Tatooine, leading a solitary life in exile, when dark forces conspire.

The series also stars Hayden Christensen, Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse.

Review-Journal: Describe returning to this iconic role for TV. How much did people bug you to do it?

Ewan McGregor: Well, it was a very long, slow process of coming back to playing him — I was just asked a lot to do it again. At the end of every interview I was asked two major life questions: Would I do the sequel to “Trainspotting” and would I do Obi-Wan again? I just started answering honestly: Yes, I would.

What drew you back to The Force?

I have always been aware of the fondness the generations have for this work. To put it simply, people really like them. I feel the same way. So, one day, when Disney asked me a few years ago to come to a meeting about Star Wars, I was intrigued. All of a sudden, I heard my voice say, “Yes, I would love to play Obi-Wan again.” One thing: I made it clear I would only do it if there was a good story. We ended up with a brilliant story that will satisfy the fans.

We find a sad Obi-Wan when this kicks off.

At the end of “Revenge of the Sith,” the Jedi order are all but destroyed or in hiding and can’t communicate with one another. For 10 years, Obi-Wan has been in hiding. He has lost his faith. The only responsibility of his past life is looking after Luke Skywalker. In the series, we find him as this wise, sage-like, spiritual man on a new mission. He’s on the Jedi Council and also goes to this broken place, which was really interesting for me to do. Just being closer to the age of Alec Guinness (who originated the role) is interesting, too.

How does it feel to work with Hayden Christensen again?

It was great because we’re so close. We made episodes II and III together in Australia. We were so far away from home, so we spent a lot of time outside of work together and training together. When I saw he was on this project, I was very excited. And when we were working together, it was like being in some kind of time warp, like the last 17 years didn’t exist.

Describe lightsaber training?

JoJo (Jonathan Eusebio), our fight coordinator, is an amazing, thoughtful man. He took our fights from the original films and really studied them. The fights in the series are not random, although the fighting styles are different now. Doing that kind of fight choreography, however, feels like being home.

What is it like dealing with Star Wars fans?

To make an Obi-Wan series, there had to be such a hunger, which is such an exciting feeling for an actor. The funny thing is, when we made the prequel films, they were not seemingly well received at first. There was no social media. No direct avenue to the kids. Now, we’re really in it, talking with the fans, which is great.

Is swinging a lightsaber after so many years off like riding a bike?

(Laughing.) It is actually something you have to work on. It’s not there right away. I did a lot of lightsaber drills with JoJo and the team.

How does it feel to walk onto set in Obi-Wan’s costume? Did you easily find the voice?

There are so many Star Wars fans on the crew that you could hear the gasp. It was otherworldly. I did have to work on Obi-Wan’s voice. For that, I did some homework by watching Alec Guinness’ work and practicing the voice. Alec Guinness had a twinkle in his eyes all the time. He had this wit. I tried to think of him and feel him somewhere while I shot this project. I’d hear him saying the lines.

What is your personal favorite Star Wars movie?

My favorite is (1977’s) “Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope.” It’s the one that changed my life in many ways. Those films told us anything is possible. As a kid watching that movie, my jaw dropped when C-3PO and R2-D2 rode through the desert. Friends forever.

Finally, when you have a day when you’re not a Jedi, like Sundays off, what’s on the agenda? Are you a foodie on the weekends?

Sunday is for getting out there in nature on my motorcycle, or I’ll go for a run while listening to Oasis or Pink Floyd. If I’m out early, I’ll stop for some coffee. Black. I’m not fancy. Lunch with my kids is a good pizza with pepperoni and anchovies. Salt on salt. You can’t beat it.