Star Wars is a long-running multimedia science fiction franchise that has continued to grow since its inception in 1977. From popular animated series like The Clone Wars to video games that provide a great deal of canonical info like Fallen Order, Lucasfilm has managed to give the people what they want. In their newest addition to the franchise, the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi, we see Ewan McGregor return as the Jedi Master now hiding on Tatooine, ten years after the execution of Order 66 (and the events of Revenge of the Sith). The show was subject to favorable reviews, with special praise for the performance from the cast, both returning and new.
While it warmed the hearts of fans everywhere to see the return of McGregor and Hayden Christensen in their iconic characters in the Star Wars universe, it also refreshed the eyes to see new additions to the cast. From the young Vivien Lyra Blair to the newly famed Moses Ingram, the cast has a wide range of experience. Here are five things you didn't know about the cast of Obi-Wan Kenobi.
5 Hayden Christensen Watched The Clone Wars in Preparation
After more than a decade away from the Star Wars screen, Hayden Christensen made his return as Darth Vader in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Considering the fact that Christensen hung up his acting hat many years ago in favor of running a farm in Ontario, Canada, it would make sense that he would only want to be prepared. In order to get fully prepared for the role, Christensen brushed up on his Star Wars lore, spending his free time watching The Clone Wars and Rebels in order to get the fully evolved version of Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader across in Obi-Wan Kenobi. This is no small feat considering that The Clone Wars and Rebels totalled a whopping 11 seasons' worth of content to cram through. This may seem like overkill, but considering his phenomenal performance in the series, his prep obviously paid off.
4 Ewan McGregor Had to Re-Learn the Obi-Wan Voice
While many believe that Obi-Wan's voice came naturally to Ewan McGregor, this is not the case. Unlike Alec McGuiness, whose natural accent became Obi-Wan's, McGregor is a native-born Scot, whose accent is quite different from Obi-Wan's. McGregor's natural accent rarely surfaces, with his most famous Scottish character being his performance in Trainspotting. Since McGregor has not performed as the beloved Jedi Master since Revenge of the Sith, it makes sense that he would struggle to get Obi-Wan's speech pattern back right away. The best part about this: it was not until the screen test that McGregor realized that he had completely forgotten how to do Kenobi's voice. It took a bit of time, but he eventually slipped right back into the role, accent and all.
3 Jason Issacs Wished to Play the Grand Inquisitor
One of the best parts of the series was the addition of the widely loathed characters in Star Wars, known as The Grand Inquisitor. Though he had made appearances in The Clone Wars and Rebels, The Grand Inquisitor made his live-action debut in Obi-Wan Kenobi, portrayed by Rupert Friend. While Friend did a phenomenal job portraying the Grand Inquisitor's ruthlessness throughout the series, it was interesting to discover that Harry Potter's Jason Issacs showed interest in the role. Considering the fact that Issacs has a long history of playing antagonists, and even provided the voice for the character in Rebels, it would not have been a bad decision to cast him as the live-action Grand Inquisitor.
2 Vivien Lyra Blair Made Her Debut In Bird Box
Many praised the performance from the actress who played Leia for not only portraying the strength of the character, but also her wit and intelligence. The young actress who played ten-year-old Leia in Obi-Wan Kenobi is Vivien Lyra Blair. This little girl may seem like she just came out of the blue, but her very first role was as "Girl" in the iconic Netflix thriller Bird Box at the age of 5 or 6. Since then, she has gotten the opportunity to star in a few roles here and there, but her appearance in Obi-Wan Kenobi is no doubt going to give her more attention and more roles. She is set to star in the upcoming film Dear Zoe and is currently filming The Boogeyman, which is set to come out in 2023. It's difficult to know where Blair's acting career will head, but what's certain is that she is on the right path.
1 Moses Ingram Wants to Join the MCU
Moses Ingram, who is relatively new to Hollywood, having made her debut in The Queen's Gambit in 2020 before starring in The Tragedy of Macbeth, has proven her skill as an actress, starring as The Third Sister AKA Reva Sevander in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since the series' release, Ingram has expressed interest in pursuing a role within the MCU. Considering the fact that Disney owns Marvel as well as Lucasfilm, it's entirely possible for Ingram's dreams to come true. Rumors have begun to circulate about Ingram even being pursued for an unknown Marvel role. While this is just speculation at this point, Ingram could in all likelihood soon be new addition to the MCU in Phase 5 and beyond. As Reva, she proved herself capable of delivering a complex and layered performance, all the while mastering the stunt choreography.