Star Wars: Wedge Antilles Actor Warned Nephew Ewan McGregor Against Taking Obi-Wan Role

One of the most anticipated series coming to Disney+ is the live-action Star Wars show that’s set to see the long-awaited return of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. It’s been over 15 years since the Scottish star put on the Jedi robes, and in a recent interview with Willie Geist, the actor reminisced about his days of accepting the role back in the ’90s. In fact, McGregor’s uncle, Denis Lawson, tried to persuade McGregor against taking on the part that was originated by Alec Guinness. Lawson played Wedge Antilles in the original trilogy and had some doubts about his nephew following in his footsteps.

“When my parents took me to see Star Wars for the first time in a cinema, to see my uncle on the screen but also it was Star Wars, it blew my mind,” McGregor shared. “He was always really dismissive of it because he did a couple of weeks work, sitting in a cardboard spaceship… and yet he had this massive following. It sort of annoyed him.”

“He was one of the people who said, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it,” McGregor shared. “And then the nearer I got to it, the more I wanted to do it.”

He added, “I’m so glad I did because it was so interesting to be part of that.”

Recently, McGregor also shared that, despite the upcoming series seeing some delays in recent weeks, production will likely begin early next year.

“We start shooting at the very beginning of next year, they’re in pre-production from this summer, there are scripts that I’ve read that are really good, they’re continuing to write on them to make them even better, and we start very early next year,” McGregor revealed on Good Morning America. “And I’m excited about it. I think the last one I shot was in 2003, so it’s been a while. It’ll just be there, I think. Also, I’m reminding myself by watching their new films and The Mandalorian and stuff, I really enjoyed. I keep myself as current as I can with the Lucasfilm world. I don’t think it will take two minutes; I’ll put the cloak back on and I’ll be there, I think.”

In addition to the Kenobi series, Disney+ also has the upcoming second season of Star Wars: The Mandalorian, which is expected to premiere in October. Other upcoming Star Wars series will include a prequel to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story which is set to feature the return of Diego Luna as Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk as K-2SO.

Stay tuned for details on the Obi-Wan Kenobi series.