‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Series Makes Super Fans’ Dreams Come True
I cannot imagine there are many Star Wars fans who would not be absolutely thrilled to get some sort of role in a Star Wars movie or TV show no matter how big or small. Disney and Lucasfilm recently made some dreams come true as they invited some fans to be extras on the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.
Maya Erskine, who stars in the Obi-Wan Kenobi series, spoke to Variety and shared some information on the experience:
"The extras were incredible on the set, and a lot of them were mega Star Wars fans…One guy, he was so nice and he lifted up his sleeves and had Star Wars tattoos over his whole body. And they build droids. There are a lot of Star Wars fans that build droids, and then the production companies will rent [them] from the fans."
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Knowing how secretive these projects are, Erskine was tight-lipped about her specific role on the show. Instead, she commented:
“Deborah Chow is an amazing director. The cast was incredible. It was so fun to do.”
The actress also joked that she is getting an Obi-Wan Kenobi tattoo:
“It’s on my ass.”
Erskine further underplayed her mysterious role in Obi-Wan Kenobi, referring to it as a “speck” of a role. She began filming shortly after giving birth to her son.
“I got to bring my baby to [the] set...I wanted to wrap him in a shawl and have him pass as an extra in Star Wars.”
This is not the first time that Disney and Lucasfilm have called upon fans to assist as extras in a television series. When they realized that they were short of stormtrooper costumes, a call was put out. The 501st Legion costume club came to the rescue with members providing both the costumes and the bodies. The 501st take great pride in their screen accurate costumes, often raising money for charities. Thus, they were often utilized by Lucasfilm for Star Wars promotional events.
Ewan McGregor is making his much anticipated return as the titular Obi-Wan Kenobi. So far we do not have character names for most of the cast. We do know that Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse are reprising their roles as Owen and Beru Lars, respectively. It has also been revealed that Maya Erskine will be joined by Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Kamail Najiani, and Bennie Safide in as of yet undisclosed roles. We have confirmation that Indira Varma is playing someone named Tia, and Paul O’Kelly is playing a prisoner.
Not a lot is known about the plot of Obi-Wan Kenobi but many believe that at some point he will be pursued by the Jedi hunting Inquisitors. This is accompanied by a strong rumor that Sung Kang will be portraying Fifth Brother, a character that has appeared in animation in Star Wars Rebels. The one thing that we do know for sure is that Hayden Christiansen will be reprising his role as Darth Vader and that he and Obi-Wan are set to have an epic showdown at some point.
Obi-Wan Kenobi series will premiere on Disney+ some time in 2022.
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