‘Kenobi’ Actor Teases This Familiar Character Type Will Return
Production of Disney+’s live-action series Obi-Wan Kenobi is in full swing. Various actors are revealing more tidbits about their roles as well as the possibilities for the type of characters they might portray in the limited series. It is a known fact that Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen will reprise their roles as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker (now the fearsome Sith Lord Darth Vader), respectively. They will be joined by Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse who will return as the younger Owen and Beru Lars. The cast also includes actors new to the Star Wars franchise such as Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Moses Ingram (Queen’s Gambit), Sung Kang (Fast and the Furious franchise), and Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley). Details about each of their respective roles are closely guarded. Recently, there has been speculations concerning Nanjiani and his role in Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The actor recently hinted in an interview with Rolling Stone that his character will be a “new version of a type of Star Wars character” that has been present throughout the franchise. He also reports that his role will be quite substantial, which suggests that he may be portraying a recurring character who is close to Obi-Wan.
"My agents called me and it was the whole group of them that never call you. And I was like, 'OK, this is either amazing news or really awful news.' And they’re like, 'They want you to play a part in Obi-Wan , and apparently, it’s substantial.'"
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Nanjiani further shared his excitement about the character:
"So then I talked to [director Deborah Chow] and we had a great conversation. And the character sounded awesome — I was so excited about this character. We haven’t seen this exact thing in Star Wars yet. This is like a new version of a type of Star Wars character we’ve seen before. And she was trying to sell me on it. And I was like, 'I was gonna do it before the conversation!' It was kind of perfect."
What could this “perfect” role be? There have been rumors that he might be a friend or ally of some sort to Obi-Wan. Could he be another Jedi who survived Order 66 or perhaps a non-Force user? The nature of his identity is still a mystery. Other possibilities include a droid that Obi-Wan builds (or repairs) to use on Tatooine or to give him somebody to talk to. He could also utilize the droid in some way to aid him in his primary task of protecting the Skywalker children, particularly Luke, as well as keeping tabs on greater galactic goings-on, such as the nascent Rebellion. If he is a droid, Nanjiani would join Sir Anthony Daniels (C-3P0), Alan Tudyk (K2-S0), and Taiki Waititi (IG-11) in the proud tradition of portraying droids in the Star Wars saga.
In the same interview, Nanjiani expressed a lot of excitement about being in Star Wars and working with Ewan McGregor. This will not be his first time working under the Disney umbrella as he is also slated to appear in Marvel’s Eternals, which premieres on November 5, 2021.
"Right after quarantine I got to do a job, in town, and it was in Star Wars . It was just the most joyful first job back possible. I didn’t know how I could beat the experience I’ve had, which is a Marvel movie with Chloé Zhao, who is amazing, and maybe the greatest cast ever assembled, and then have Obi-Wan as the next thing, with another really fantastic cast. Ewan McGregor! Really? I don’t know where I go from there. And so I decided to walk into the middle of the woods."
As Obi-Wan Kenobi is set ten years after the events of Revenge of the Sith, and explores a previously unexplored time period in the Star Wars galactic history, the possibilities are literally endless. It is hard to predict what will happen as anything can happen. Fans will just have to wait at the edge of their seats for more news as the release date draws closer.
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Source(s): The Direct