Star Wars Stuntman Reveals Inside Look at Obi-Wan vs. Darth Vader Rematch

The climactic clash of Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen) in “Part VI” is a knock-down, drag-out battle between Jedi Master and Sith Lord — one that ends with the defeated Vader’s breathing unit damaged and his helmet cracked. The humming glow of blue and red lightsabers reveals the scarred face of Anakin Skywalker, deformed by the dark side and his wounds on Mustafar a decade earlier in Revenge of the Sith. But behind the scenes, inside the suit was stuntman Tom O’Connell, who took to Instagram to share the sweaty aftermath of two weeks of physically demanding stuntwork on the Obi-Wan Kenobi vs. Darth Vader duel.

“I lost around 20lbs in the two weeks we filmed that finale fight scene. And I loved every second of it!,” the Vader stuntman captioned a sweat-soaked selfie posted on Instagram. “Anyone who has ever done suit work has my profound respect.” 

O’Connell, who previously shared a behind-the-scenes look at his “Part III” face-off with Obi-Wan stunt performer Ross Kohnstam, also praised McGregor and series director Deborah Chow following the Obi-Wan versus Vader rematch in “Part VI.” 

“In true Jedi fashion, Ewan stayed calm and collected throughout our two-week battle. Deborah Chow was a performer’s dream as a director,” O’Connell wrote, calling stunt coordinator Jonathan ‘Jojo’ Eusebio “the ultimate Jedi master guiding the story of the fight from idea to execution. What an incredible journey! My gratitude is overflowing.

Along with Christensen, who suited up as the Dark Lord for the first time since Sith in 2005, Vader was realized with the efforts of O’Connell, “Vader movement specialist” and choreographer Olga Sokolova, and credited Vader performance artist Dmitrious Bistrevsky. 

“None of it would’ve been possible without the team. This one is an all-star team I was lucky enough to be chosen for,” O’Connell wrote in another behind-the-scenes peek at the Obi-Wan finale. “What an absolute privilege and honor to work with such talent. Haters will say it’s photoshopped but… Thank you for everything, #jojoeusebio.” 

Starring Ewan McGregor, Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Indira Varma, Sung Kang, Grant Feely as young Luke Skywalker, Vivien Lyra Blair as young Leia Organa, and Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader, all six episodes of Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi are now streaming on Disney+.