I'm going to begin.
And by that I mean, did you ever envisage that this time would come?
Was it always somewhere in the back of your mind
that maybe you'd reprise this role one day or when this project came about?
Was it was it a bit of a surprise?
It was definitely a surprise.
I mean, you know,
for the longest time, no, I didn't think I'd be stepping back into this role.
Again,
but but certainly in the back of my head, for for a little bit,
I was I was maybe hopeful that one day
such an opportunity might present itself.
I mean, Darth Vader is so iconic.
I mean, the word iconic almost doesn't do the character justice.
I mean, how was it for you just getting back into that costume
for the first time and into that headspace?
It must have been quite a quite special feeling, incredibly
special and also very emotional for me.
You know, this whole this whole project
was was a surprisingly emotional experience.
You know, just because
this is a character that means so much to me
and and and to other people as well.
You know, as you said, this is a character that has sort of
resonated in our popular culture in a very unique way.
So getting to continue my journey with Darth Vader has just been so cool.
Yeah.
Because I guess, you know, when you have to tackle this character
that you sort of do it with a completely sort of fresh perspective,
what were you actually trying to kind of go back
remember that kind of headspace in those years ago?
And that in itself must be quite a strange experience
because so long past that like anyone, you will have changed and developed as a
human being in that time.
So it must be quite weird to tap into a sort of an old part of you in some ways.
Very much so, yeah.
And I mean, that was, that was also a part of the appeal.
Just such a unique exercise in my craft,
you know, coming back to a character that I played so long ago
now at this point in my life,
obviously I approach it with with a slightly different perspective,
but I'm also going back and trying to, you know,
find that familiar ground to
see how everyone else is kind of speaking about what they thought
when they first saw you back again.
And in costume and how special that was.
I wanted to know what it was like for you to see you and again
as Obi-Wan in the kind of full attire and what that moment was like.
It was it was incredible seeing seeing Ewan [McGregor] again as Obi-Wan.
I mean, that's that's
that's something I'll remember for the rest of my life.
That was my first day back on set.
And you know, just
just stepping back onto a Star Wars set was was a very special thing.
And then, of course, getting to do this with you and was was just very meaningful.
I mean, that must have been cool.
But how is it holding a lightsaber again?
That was that felt really good.
Yeah. Yeah. No, I
that's that's
part of my my my favorite, you know, aspect of working on these
these these Star Wars stories is is lightsaber stuff.
So it was a lot of fun.
Do you have one at home?
I mean, just memorabilia.
In fact, I remember I spoke to Liam Neeson a few years ago, and he has
he said he kept a few bits and bobs.
I always imagine
if you're in a movie like this or you're in a show like this, you got a
you got to take a few bits for yourself.
Yeah, of course.
Yeah, I know.
I, I do have a couple of light sabers.
I've got an antique and light saber, and I've got a Darth Vader light saber and
maybe a few other knickknacks from from the set as well.
I mean, I know there's only so much you can kind of tell us at the moment,
but what kind of fans kind of expect of this,
this version of Darth Vader that was set to see in this new series?
Well, this is this is a point
in the sort of the life of this character that hasn't been explored yet.
And there's a lot going on.
You know, this is this is Vader, you know, ten years
after Revenge of the Sith, and he's had all of that time to to
sort of
meditate on on on what life is like now
and this new sort of
in prison version of himself.
And for me, that was that was,
you know, very compelling for me getting to explore the character.
You know, at this point, in his life was a great opportunity.
Yeah.
Because, I mean, Star Wars, I mean, means I was,
as you sort of touched upon, means so much to so many people.
And it's something that you'll be
more aware of than anyone else over the years, having encountered
so many fans, that kind of conventions and just on the street, I'm sure.
But what does it mean to you?
Star Wars as a kind of as a as a property, as a franchise, it's such a key player
as Darth Vader. It must
it must be more than just the character, more than more than just the job.
Absolutely. You know,
you know, first and foremost, I'm a fan myself.
You know, I was a fan before I got involved in the franchise. And
it means a lot to me to get to play this character.
And I think it's incredible the way that these these stories have just
continued to resonate with people and the impact
that they've had on our culture is is tremendous.
But, yeah, I mean, it's hard to really define for you
what it means to me because it has defined my life in so many ways.
Yeah.
We just can't get enough of Star Wars, and you never can.
But thank you so much for your time today
and best of luck with the release of the series.
Thank you so much. Nice. Nice talking with you. It's a bye bye.