Ewan McGregormay have starred as Obi-Wan Kenobi inGeorge Lucas‘Star Warsprequels, but his uncle had a few reservations.
In a PEOPLE exclusive clip of this weekend’sSunday TODAY with Willie Geist,McGregor told host Willie Geist he had always admired his uncle, Denis Lawson, 72, calling the older actor his “hero.” Lawson played Wedge Antilles in Lucas’ originalStar Warstrilogy.
“When my parents took me to seeStar Warsfor the first time in a cinema, to see my uncle on the screen but also it wasStar Wars, it blew my mind,” McGregor, 48, said.
TheBirds of Preystar continued, “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.”
Lucasfilm/Kobal/Shutterstock; Lucasfilm
“He was one of the people who said, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it,” McGregor recalled. “And then the nearer I got to it, the more I wanted to do it.”
RELATED VIDEO: Ewan McGregor is ‘So Excited’ to Play Obi-Wan Kenobi Again in Disney+ Series
McGregor portrayed a young version of Obi-Wan, as a mentor to Anakin Skywalker before his fall and transformation as Darth Vader.
The star said he has no regrets. “I’m so glad I did because it was so interesting to be part of that,” McGregor said.
Denis Lawson and Ewan McGregor.
McGregor will get to reprise his role as the Jedi Knight in an upcoming Disney+ series. (Fans also got to see Lawson return to the role of Wedge in last year’sStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.)
Last month, the actor toldThe Associated Presstheseries has “been pushed back a little bit”after rumors it had been put on hold.
“The scripts are excellent and they just want them to be better,” he told the outlet. “So we just pushed it back, but it’s not — it’s very dramatic, it would seem, online, there’s all kinds of s— online about it, but it’s only just slid back a bit.”
He continued, “We’re still shooting it, I think it will still be aired when it was meant to be and I’m really excited about it. It’ll be fun to play again.”
Catch the full interview this Sunday onSunday Today with Willie Geist, airing at 8 a.m. ET on NBC. The full unedited version of the interview is also available on theSunday Sitdownpodcast.
source: people.com
