- [Josh] Can you talk to me a little bit
about what it was like to get
on set and shoot with the old costumes, the old hairstyle,
and recreate that magic from a long time ago?
- It was very, very surreal.
It was surreal looking across at Hayden
in his Anakin costume and me in my Obi-Wan costume.
And it really felt like the last 17 years
hadn't happened at all, you know.
- Yeah. It was, like, sort of,
I think the closest that I'll ever get
to experiencing time travel, you know?
- Right. Amazing, amazing.
[Josh] I feel somewhat guilty, Ewan.
I've been pestering you with bad Jar Jar imitations,
with trying to secret into the universe
an Obi-Wan Kenobi return.
And I actually have some video I'd like to show you
from one such conversation, if you'll indulge me.
- Oh good.
- [Josh] This is from 2015.
Let's take a look at this short clip.
- Since people have been pestering you about Obi-Wan
and the new 'Star Wars' films gearing up.
Have you had any conversations about -
- No!
- A 'Star Wars' film with anyone?
- I'm still waiting for the call.
- Truly?
- Seriously, I -
- You wouldn't be lying to me if you -
- No, I wouldn't lie to you, no. I would give you some code,
"No, I'm not able to answer, but..."
But, literally, I have heard nothing, nothing.
- [Josh] So, I thought Jedis don't lie, Ewan.
Was there something in the air then?
Was it prior to the call?
Give me a sense.
- I don't know one way or another.
It's an impossible situation to be in
if your employer, Disney, says
you can't tell anyone you're doing the show,
and you asked me, "It sounds like you're doing the show."
It's a very difficult situation to be in.
And it went on for a long time, having to do that.
Yeah.
- So it must have been a real sense
of relief and joy when, oh wait, this is actually happening.
- No, it was always happening.
I mean, it was just gonna happen in different -
It was gonna be a movie
and then it would change to be a TV series,
and it was going down one storyline
and then it shifted to another,
but I never doubted that it was gonna happen.
I think it was just a question of when, and then
it was exciting when we finally got on stage for sure.
And when we got on set, that was a brilliant moment.
A brilliant first day.
- I'm curious, like when you're in that costume, Hayden,
are there things you can't do that feel incongruous
to the Darth Vader mystique?
Like, can you not lean against the wall casually?
Can you not drink coffee with the helmet off?
Like, is that discouraged?
Does it just feel wrong to kind of not be
in the guise of Darth Vader when you're in that costume?
- Trying to take a sip of water requires a very long straw,
and you know, bathroom breaks are a bit of a challenge.
There's sort of a cumbersome quality to being
in the suit when you're not actually filming.
But, yeah, good fun, you know.
- This is a unique opportunity to ask some, what I
consider, burning questions about the 'Star Wars' universe.
And I enlisted my 9-year-old nephew for some help.
So, if there are any of these questions
you don't like, just blame him.
Don't blame me, please, OK?
It's all on Dylan.
What's a better name for a child, you think,
Anakin or Obi-Wan?
- Anakin.
- I have met a couple of Anakin kids before, yeah.
- This might be touchy, but who do you
consider the better lightsaber fighter?
Who's got the better technique, the better stamina?
- I was always trying to keep up with Ewan.
Ewan kind of set the bar.
He had another film ahead of me, too.
So he had the experience that I didn't, but yeah,
I was always trying to keep up with Ewan.
- No, no, we were totally well-matched, I would say.
I think Yoda is the best swordsman of all,
but that goes without saying.
- Who do you think was moodier or had
more anger management issues, Anakin or Kylo Ren?
- Oh, I liked seeing some of those personality traits
in Kylo Ren, too, but Anakin's a tough one to out-moody.
[Laughs]
- I recently had a lovely chat,
as it always is, with Samuel L. Jackson.
He's just convinced Mace is out there.
He's got one arm, he's riding around somewhere.
Where do you stand? Is Mace Windu alive?
- If Sam Jackson wants it to be true
I wouldn't want to disagree with that, so.
- That's fair, that's fair.
Never disagree with Sam Jackson, right?
That's a good rule of thumb.
This is an age-old argument, I think, for everybody,
is the order of the 'Star Wars' films.
Like, what order you should show your kids
the 'Star Wars' films.
You've probably had to make this decision.
Where do you guys come down on this?
- I don't know.
I think there's validity to both options.
- No, I agree. I think it doesn't matter, really.
The two trilogies are so, sort of, complete,
that it doesn't really matter.
You can watch one from start to finish
and then the other. I don't think it matters.
- [Josh] As you all know, one of the joys I feel
about rolling this out a week at a time is,
after every episode there's all this conjecture,
and people having theories, and whatever.
After a recent episode, you know, when, Ewan,
your character talks to young Leia, and basically says
"I wish I was," in reference to
that Obi-Wan was her dad.
Some people made the jump to like, oh, this confirms
that theory that some have had along the way
that there was some kind of would-be,
potential relationship
between Padmé and Obi-Wan.
Is that an interpretation -
[Laughs]
that's valid to you?
Oh, well Hayden has a thought.
- No, I've just never heard this theory before.
This is - - Oh, you've never heard this?
- This is a new theory for me.
Yeah. Is this a theory that you give any merit to, Ewan?
[Laughs]
- I don't wanna touch off -
I don't wanna end this relationship.
- No, I think, in this moment,
he's saying to her that, you know,
she wants to know who her father is,
and she, in this moment, thinks that maybe it's me.
And I'm just saying, no, I wished it was,
I wished I could give her that.
I think it's a tender moment between them.
It's the first tender moment between them
really in the series, I think.
I don't think there's any more to it than that.
If there'd been any validity
to Obi-Wan and Padmé getting it,
don't you think George might have put that
in the script or something?
Don't you think he might have told that story?
I mean, listen, I love all the conjecture and all
of the discussion about all of these things. Why not?
It's fun, but that belongs to the fans.
- Right.
- That's not for me or Hayden to comment on that.
- That belongs to the fans. - Yeah.
- Has this changed your relationship with 'Star Wars'?
Obviously, it's always gonna be a part
of your lives, and it has been for some time,
but this is just like an electric jolt,
I would imagine, of new energy
around your participation in the saga.
Does it change your relationship to the work,
to 'Star Wars' in general,
just seeing this renewed excitement
about your characters and 'Star Wars'?
- I love it.
I'm very happy that we've had a chance
to bring these characters back,
but also to spend time back in the 'Star Wars'
galaxy was just still thrilling.
And to do it with Deborah Chow,
who's the really talented and brilliant director.
And we were lucky to have her direct all
of our episodes, and she's really inspiring to work
for, and it was just a great joy, all of it, really.
It's been amazing to work with Hayden again.
It's been a long time since we did that.
And it's a beautiful thing to come back
to work with someone you love and respect so much.
And I think, seeing the reaction from fans.
We were down at ['Star Wars'] Celebration
a couple of weeks ago,
three weeks ago, you know, feeling that excitement
from the actual fans of 'Star Wars' is something
that I hadn't really experienced before.
So it was really amazing.
And it's still wanted for a reason.
People still want stories told in this world for a reason.
They love this world and its escapism
and whatever you might label it.
It's much loved, you know, and it's nice to feel that again.
- And for you, Hayden, I would imagine
an aspect of it also is the surprise of it all.
Like, they would be able to even figure
out a way to bring your character back.
- [Hayden] Yeah, no -
- I would imagine that's part of it.
- I mean, if you would've asked me, you know, three,
four years ago, I would never have guessed
that we'd be sitting here chattin' about this.
It's just been an incredible opportunity, and so exciting,
you know, to get to be a part of this project,
to get to work with Ewan again,
and to feel the support from the fans
has been incredibly meaningful.