Ewan McGregor Reflects On Star Wars Prequels Puppet & CGI Yoda

Obi-Wan Kenobi star Ewan McGregor reflects on the Yoda puppet and CGI Yoda (Frank Oz) in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. McGregor portrayed a younger version of the future Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. McGregor’s Obi-Wan was initially introduced as Qui-Gon Jinn’s (Liam Neeson) Padawan in 1999’s The Phantom Menace. It was Yoda who ultimately agreed to let Obi-Wan take Anakin Skywalker as his Padawan, to fulfill Qui-Gon Jinn’s dying wish. Fans last saw McGregor as Obi-Wan in 2005’s Revenge of the Sith, as Obi-Wan fled to Tatooine to protect Luke Skywalker from the threat of the new Galactic Empire.

The Star Wars prequels have gone through a veritable renaissance of fan appreciation after years of serving as one of the most divisive parts of the Star Wars fandom. McGregor’s stellar performance as Obi-Wan was always one aspect of the prequels that garnered praise. As a result, it’s no surprise that McGregor’s return as Obi-Wan in the upcoming limited Disney Plus series Obi-Wan Kenobi is arguably one of, if not the most eagerly anticipated Star Wars projects in the works at the moment.

McGregor spoke about one of his favorite parts of filming the prequels in a Variety Actors on Actors interview, where he engaged in a conversation with The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal. McGregor gave some interesting insight on the contrast he felt when filming opposite the Yoda puppet in The Phantom Menace versus CGI Yoda in Attack of the Clones and Revenge of Sith. McGregor confessed he much preferred working with the puppet, saying:

“The first film I did, I was lucky to do my scenes with the Yoda puppet. And it was extraordinary, because I acted with him. I couldn’t believe I was acting with Yoda. There’s so many people operating him, and the stage is lifted up so they’re underneath the floor and we were literally walking next to each other — and he’s alive. Then every time George called cut, Yoda would die, because everyone just stops. It was sort of disturbing every time the end of the scene would come along.

Then they replaced him for our second film and our third film with the digital version of him, and it’s not nearly as endearing. Also, we know Yoda as a puppet. We know him from the original movies as a puppet. So when it was suddenly computer generated, it didn’t feel like Yoda to me anymore. It was interesting that it went back to an actual puppet with your [The Mandalorian] series.”

It’s interesting to hear McGregor’s feelings about acting against puppet Yoda and CGI Yoda. McGregor’s aforementioned memorable performance as young Obi-Wan was definitely enhanced by his memorable scenes with Yoda, adding more layers of meaning to their relationship in the original trilogy. During The Phantom Menace, Obi-Wan was still beneath Yoda in terms of Force abilities, wisdom, and rank. By the time the events of the Revenge of the Sith occurred, Yoda and Obi-Wan depart for their respective exiles on Dagobah and Tatooine as equals, tragically bonded forevermore in their mutual feeling of failing the Jedi Order.

Of course, fans are eagerly awaiting the confirmed epic rematch between Obi-Wan and his fallen apprentice Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) in Obi-Wan Kenobi, but it would also be great if Obi-Wan could reunite with Yoda in some fashion. Their reunion would likely be out of necessity, perhaps to protect Luke from some sort of threat, which would add a nice layer later on when Force ghost Obi-Wan sends Luke to be trained under Yoda’s tutelage. Regardless of whether or not a reunion will occur, the plot possibilities for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series are as endless as the galaxy, and incredibly exciting.

Source: Variety