This morning I took part in the press conference for Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi which will make its highly-anticipated debut on Disney + on May 27th.
- On hand for the conference to talk about the show and take questions from the moderator and press were the following…
- Ewan McGregor (“Obi-wan Kenobi”/ Executive Producer)
- Moses Ingram (“Reva”)
- Deborah Chow (Director)
Ewan McGregor discussed how every time he has done an interview he is always asked if he would be interested in playing the character again. He stated that at the time he had thought that the Prequels were not well-received but over the years he has learned that fans have embraced and loved them which was something he was very pleased over.
His continued confirmation and expressed interest in playing Obi-Wan eventually had Disney request a meeting with him as they wanted to see just how serious he was about playing the character again and this started the process in motion of trying to find just the right story to make it happen.
Moses Ingram was asked about how she prepared for the part and she talked about the intense training with Ewan and their coordinator Jo-Jo and Ewan mentioned that was how they got to know each other. When asked if she made the Lightsaber noises she giggled but mentioned Ewan does and he said even if you do not, they are going in your head which is unavoidable.
Deborah Chow mentioned how she would play John Williams music during their training as it really pumped them up and made them feel 10 feet tall.
Moses said it was very hard work at first as Ewan was so good with his Saberwork and she was worried about how bad she was and if she would ever be able to learn it enough to keep up with him.
She also talked about the look of her character and the hairstyle as being a Subordinate of Darth Vader she wanted to make sure the character had their own unique look and strength which she believed was really important for young girls as she mentioned how her brothers would say to her she was not strong enough as a child.
When asked what their favorite Star Wars films were, Ewan said Revenge of the Sith while Moses said Obi-Wan. This led to a discussion on how The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett are episodic around a storyline whereas Obi-Wan is basically one long movie that happens to be broken into segments.
Deborah Chow mentioned how she likes Rogue One due to the visuals involved and it was mentioned how it like Obi-Wan is both a Prequel and a Sequel.
Ewan stated that the voice was the hardest part for the character as during a break in filming The Mandalorian on a Sunday, he was given an outfit to do a screen test with two actors and while he was getting back in character, he found that his voice was wrong and he had to try to regain what he had and remember that “twinkle” and humor that Sir Alec Guinness had.
Ewan talked about filming Episode II and III in Australia and how he and Hayden became very close being so far from home and also having so much time with one another practicing and how they had lost contact the last few years beyond their usual patterns, it was so great to see him again and it was hard to believe that so many years had passed since they last did their scenes.
Deborah Chow touched on how vital it was to her for Vader to be a part of the show as he has a vital part in his story and Ewan expanded on how Obi-Wan has lost the Jedi Order, his friends, Anakin, and his freedom. Ten years in he is not using the Force and is hiding.
When asked about the differences between filming the Prequels and the series in terms of the FX, Ewan mentioned how it is so much better now. He talked about how hard it was working on Green and Blue Screens where you have to imagine what is there. Now with the Stagecraft technology, you see what is there. He mentioned how they project a desert, a starfield, or any other exotic locale around you so it provides a setting as well as visuals.
Deborah mentioned how much the technology has advanced since the first season of The Mandalorian and how they can do so much more now than they could as recently as two years ago.
Ewan brought up how Episode II was shot digitally and at the time it was a new technology and took thirty minutes to change the lense. As such, they tended to just use one and have the cameras on cranes to move them around and film. They were cutting edge at the time and had cables from them running into this tent and it even had an audible hum to it.
Ewan mentioned how in Post-Production the hum was at the same frequency as the human voice so all of the dialogue they had filmed could not be used so they had to add all of their lines in post-production.
Ewan and Deborah mentioned how George Lucas was always pushing technology and how digital filming is the norm now and that the Stagecraft technology is an evolution from the work he did during the Prequels.
The cast mentioned how excited they are for the show to finally be seen and Deborah said she cannot wait so she can finally talk about it and various aspects they have had to keep quiet over.
The conference concluded and as excited as I already was to see the show, I am even more excited now as the talented cast clearly is very excited and proud of the work they have done and Ewan mentioned how passionate Star Wars fans are and how he cannot wait for them to see it.
