Star Wars: 9 Actors Who Could Have Been Great as Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ewan McGregor is a staple of the Star Wars franchise. From the young and impulse Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: A Phantom Menace to the mature and distraught Jedi Master in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith and Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor delivers a performance impossible to replicate. Nevertheless, there are several seasoned actors that, if given the chance, could offer their own take on the iconic Star Wars hero. Here are nine actors who could have been great as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

9 Nathan Fillion

Best known for Castle and Firefly, Nathan Fillion exhibits all the mature sensibilities required for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Considering his work on A Series of Unfortunate Events, where he serves as a surrogate guardian for the Baudelaire orphans, Fillion has a natural onscreen presence as a mentoring figure.

8 Christian Bale

bale-prestige-2006-touchstone — Touchstone Pictures

Christian Bale can portray just about any character. From the charming psychopath in American Psycho; the traumatized insomniac in The Machinist; a self-sacrificing vigilante in The Dark Knight, to more mature roles in American Hustle and Vice, Christian Bale is an acting gem. He would certainly offer a vast emotional range to his portrayal as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

7 Michael C. Hall

Michael C. Hall as Dexter in jail in Dexter New Blood — Showtime Networks

Michael C. Hall's talent is limitless. From his Broadway work in Hedwig and the Angry Itch, Chicago, Cabaret, to his iconic Dexter Morgan in Dexter, this versatile actor gives audiences unforgettable performances. While Dexter is a serial killer, there is one other role the forensic investigator executes flawlessly, that of a mentor. Whether as a stepdad to Astor and Cody, a loving father to his own son, Harrison, to taking Zach Hamilton under his wing, Michael C. Hall can portray a convincing mentor effortlessly.

6 James McAvoy

James McAvoy stares into the mirror and puts his hand against it in Filth — Lionsgate

James McAvoy is another Hollywood gem that would bring layer after layer to Obi-Wan Kenobi. McAvoy has already done a similar portrayal in the X-Men franchise, starting off as a youthful, hopeful mutant activist in X-Men: First Class, a jaded recluse in X-Men: Days of Future Past, and culminating as the seasoned professor in X-Men: Dark Phoenix.

5 Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender in a scarf on a subway train in Shame — Momentum Pictures

Michael Fassbender can portray anything from a conniving villain to a tragic antihero. Similarly to James McAvoy, it's his work in the X-Men franchise that makes him an ideal fit for Obi-Wan Kenobi. Fassbender portrays the conflicted anti-hero Erik Lehnsherr/Magneto to the tee. He initially works alongside Charles Xavier to maintain the peace between mutants and humans, but ultimately succumbs to his nihilistic view of the world in X-Men: Days of Future Past and X-Men: Apocalypse. By the final X-Men installment, Magneto finally puts his resentment to rest to save the world; with such a layered character arc, Michael Fassbender would have shined as Obi-Wan Kenobi.

4 Chris Pine

Chris Pine on the set of Dungeons & Dragons — Paramount

Much like Ewan McGregor between Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace to the miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chris Pine has grown before audiences through projects such as The Princes Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement, Just My Luck, to Wonder Woman and Don't Worry Darling. Chris Pine's seasoned charisma makes him a believable fit to portray Obi-Wan Kenobi, or any mentor character for that matter.

3 Joaquin Phoenix

Joaquin Phoenix smiling and laughing in Joker as Arthur Fleck — Warner Bros.

Easily the most versatile actor of his generation, Joaquin Phoenix always brings something new to his characters. While his standout performances are in Joker and Gladiator, the movies that showcase Phoenix's ability to portray Obi-Wan Kenobi are Signs and C'mon, C'mon. Both these movies show Phoenix's more paternal side as he cares for children.

2 Mark Ruffalo

Mark Ruffalo is very selective with his projects, accepting only a handful of films per decade. Some of his best-known works include Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Minds, Zodiac, and his portrayal as Bruce Banner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That noted, Mark Ruffalo isn't the first, or even the second actor to portray the doctor-turned-Hulk, but he definitely adds a depth to the character that solidifies him in the role. At the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ruffalo's Banner goes into hiding to protect those around him from his seemingly uncontrollable power. The conflict and guilt Ruffalo brings to Hulk matches Ewan McGregor's throughout his entire arc as Obi-Wan Kenobi; Marc Ruffalo would bring a moving emotionality to the Jedi Master if given the chance.

1 Edward Norton

Edward Norton with a camera in a car in Motherless Brooklyn — Warner Bros. Pictures

Mark Ruffalo isn't the only Hulk actor that would make an excellent Obi-Wan Kenobi. Edward Norton has shown that he can execute any role offered to him, making audiences forget every time that it's the actor onscreen. From a troubled youth in Primal Fear, the antihero in American History X, the narcissistic actor in Birdman, to the love-sick, temperamental Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk, Edward Norton's talent would bring something unique and unforgettable to his Obi-Wan Kenobi.