A little background first of all. The actor Denis Lawson, who plays X-wing pilot Wedge Antilles, is the uncle ofBirds of PreyandTrainspottingstar Ewan McGregor.Ewan McGregor, of course, went on to play Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi for the early 2000’s prequel trilogy. Now, it may delight you to imagine the pair excitedly discussing the events that took place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but alas, Lawson instead advised his nephew not to join theStar Warsfranchise.
“He was one of the people who said, ‘Don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it.’ And then the nearer I got to it, the more I wanted to do it. … I’m so glad I did because it was so interesting to be part of that.”
This may indeed fill you with an unimaginable disappointment, but may well be due toDenis Lawson’s experience filming the original trilogy, as McGregor elaborated on.
“When my parents took me to seeStar Warsfor the first time in a cinema, to see my uncle on the screen but also it was Star Wars, it blew my mind. [My uncle] 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.”
It is sad to hear that Lawson did not enjoy his experience making the originalStar Warsmovies, though we have not heard from the man himself. Obviously, McGregor did not take heed of his uncle’s advice, instead choosing to take on therole of Obi-Wan Kenobifor all three movies,Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace,Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the ClonesandStar Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, with the actor emerging as one of the highlights of the heavily criticized trilogy.
ActorDenis Lawsonis now aged 72 and has had a long career on the stage and on television. Starring as Wedge from the beginning of the saga back in 1977’sStar Wars: A New Hope, he continued as the character in bothThe Empire Strikes BackandReturn of the Jedi. He even appeared as Wedge Antilles again in the saga’s finaleStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, but apparently being a part of theStar Warsseries is not something he looks back on too fondly.
McGregor as well will hopefully be returning to theStar Warsfranchise himself for a rumored series focussing on Obi-Wan Kenobi. Though there were rumors that plans for the series had been scrapped, these were dismissed by the actor as nonsense. Fans have wanted an Obi-Wan series for years now, so here’s hoping it does materialize eventually. This comes to us courtesy ofPeople.
