Obi-Wan Kenobi Star Rupert Friend Breaks Silence on Bringing Star Wars’ Grand Inquisitor to Life

Obi-Wan Kenobi is set to premiere on Disney+ later this month, and it’s safe to say that we’re dying to find out more on the series. The first official trailer for the Star Wars series was released last month and it introduced us to this new chapter in the history of the franchise. Obi-Wan Kenobi will introduce us to a live-action version of the Grand Inquisitor, played by Rupert Friend, and the trailer gave us an interesting first look at him. Now, Friend is speaking out on his new role. While appearing on The One Show (via Digital Spy), Friend broke his silence on bringing the character to life.

“It was a sweaty, sweaty suit and I did sweat buckets inside the prosthetics which would pour across my face at the end of a day,” Friend revealed. “And make me look like a very, very miserable clown. But so worth it!” 

Friend went on to discuss how it feels to be a part of the amazing world Lucasfilm has created. The actor praises the incredible stories the franchise has had over the years as well as how it felt to be a part of a new story: “It’s amazing. They have literally built a universe over the years and the incredible thing about is the relationship between the stories and the fans is completely interlaced – they are as connected with those stories as those of us who make it and you really feel like you’re in dialogue as you do it… It’s an amazing thing to be a part of.”

The Ewan McGregor-led Obi-Wan Kenobi series will be the next Star Wars series to premiere on Disney+. The series will more than likely be a one-and-done as it’s being described as a limited series. Obi-Wan Kenobi will find the titular hero ten years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, and McGregor tells Entertainment Weekly to expect a very different portrayal.

“We find Obi-Wan at the beginning of our story rather broken, and faithless, and beaten. [He’s] somewhat given up,” McGregor told the magazine. “He’s different because of what’s happened at the end of Episode III with Order 66 and the Jedi Order being slaughtered and everyone who survived going into hiding. After dealing with his personal failure with Anakin, he feels the responsibility that he allowed Anakin to be tempted over to the Dark Side.”

Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere May 27th, 2022 on Disney+. The series stars Ewan McGregor, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Sung Kang, Moses Ingram, Indira Varama, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Rupert Friend, Simone Kessell and Benny Sadfie. 

What do you think of Rupert Friend’s Grand Inquisitor look? Let us know your thoughts either in the comments section or by hitting our writer @NateBrail up on Twitter!