How reappraisal of Star Wars prequels led to Obi-Wan Kenobi

Hayden Christensen says it was a 'no-brainer' to return as Darth Vader after love for the Star Wars prequels grew and grew in the years since their release.

Obi-Wan Kenobi launches exclusively on Disney+ 27 May.

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TOM BUTLER: It's been 17 years since we saw you as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Revenge of the Sith, during which time the prequel trilogy has just grown and grown online. I just wondered how much the enthusiasm, you know, for that-- the prequel series-- played into your return as Obi-Wan.

EWAN MCGREGOR: The way that I felt about Star Wars from being a kid was pretty important, you know. And then to join that family and to play somebody as iconic as Alec Guinness's character from Star Wars, you know, and for then for everyone to be pretty shitty about it afterwards was hard, you know. It was hard. So after years-- after some years, to start feeling the appreciation for the films and the fact that that generation-- you know, we made their Star Wars films in the same way as, you know, Mark Hamill, and Carrie Fisher, and Alec Guinness made my Star Wars films-- was important, and it changed things for me. It made me feel happy about-- happier about being part of it.

TOM BUTLER: Obviously, it's been such a long time since we've seen you in the role, and the love for the prequels has just grown and grown in that time. How much of that did that influence your decision to come back?

HAYDEN CHRISTENSEN: The reception that the prequels have now, it's very heartwarming. And, you know, my interactions with fans have been great. So of course, when they came to me and sort of presented me with this opportunity, it was a no brainer. I was really excited to get to step back into this character.