The Star Wars Prequel Backlash Was As Hard On Ewan McGregor As You'd Expect

In the years since the "Star Wars" prequel trilogy wrapped up its mixed bag of a run in 2005 with "Revenge of the Sith," there has been something of a re-evaluation of those films and that era of the franchise in general. This is in no small part thanks to the generation that grew up with those films coming of age, not to mention "The Clone Wars" adding much depth to the characters and the stories being told in that time period. But at the time when the movies were coming out, it wasn't easy on the stars who were carrying a galaxy far, far away on their backs.

Ewan McGregor is finally set to return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a new Disney+ series in May, simply titled "Obi-Wan Kenobi." We recently got a look at the first trailer and, in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, the actor discussed what it was like dealing with the criticism levied at the likes of "The Phantom Menace" and "Attack of the Clones" at the time. It was difficult, for various reasons:

"I found it quite hard. For it to come out and get knocked so hard was personally quite difficult to deal with. And also, it was quite early in my career. I didn't really know how to deal with that. I'd been involved with things that just didn't make much of a ripple, but that's different from making something that makes a negative ripple."

McGregor has gone on to have a fantastic and varied career post-"Star Wars," having appeared in everything from the Oscar-winning "Beginners" to Mike Flanagan's "Doctor Sleep." Still, being able to return to this role and nail it down all these years later will surely provide a great deal of satisfaction.

Another actor finally returning to the fold for "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is none other than Hayden Christensen, who is back in the saddle as Darth Vader. Christensen played Anakin Skywalker in "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith" before briefly appearing as Vader at the end of "Episode III." Now, he's getting the chance to be Vader in proper fashion. In the same article, the actor explained that the response to the prequels was equally hard on him, having invested a lot into the movies as an actor:

"When the films came out and the critics were very critical, of course that was a difficult thing — because you care so much about this thing that you've invested so much of yourself into. So, for sure, that's challenging."

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" feels like a show that literally every "Star Wars" fan is rooting for and, in the best-case scenario, it will provide both McGregor and Christensen with some redemption, even further altering the narrative of the prequel trilogy in the broader pop culture landscape. Fingers crossed.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi" debuts on Disney+ on May 25, 2022.