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Credit: ABC Actor Ewan McGregor may be currently starring as the legendary Obi-Wan Kenobi in Deborah Chow’s Disney+ series of the same name, but the Star Wars icon recently recalled the time he was rudely called out by Terry Gilliam after replacing Johnny Depp in his movie.
Ewan McGregor’s return as the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi — the character Sir Alec Guinness made famous in Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) — has been decades in the making. After first appearing as Qui-Gon Jinn’s (Liam Neeson) Jedi Padawan in Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) from director George Lucas, McGregor went on to star as Kenobi in the remainder of the prequel trilogy.
It is the loose threads left behind from Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith (2005) that gives Obi-Wan Kenobi its focus; the “rematch of the century” between the titular hero and his disgraced Padawan, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader (Hayden Christensen).
Related: After Losing Two Seasons, ‘Star Wars’ Longest Live-Action Series May Be Cut Even Shorter
While Obi-Wan Kenobi from the Star Wars prequels maybe McGregor’s most universally recognized and commercial role, the actor has a long-standing career in Hollywood.
Beginning his movie career in the acclaimed Trainspotting (1996) from director Danny Boyle based on Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name, McGregor has starred in a number of films including Moulin Rouge! (2001) with Nicole Kidman, Black Hawk Down (2001), Big Fish (2003), The Impossible (2012), Beauty and the Beast (2017), Christopher Robin (2018), and Doctor Sleep (2019).
For television, the actor recently won the Outstanding Lead Actor Primetime Emmy Award for his role as Halston in the series of the same name.
Despite his already extensive filmography, McGregor almost appeared in another big movie from acclaimed director, Terry Gilliam. The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (2018) began its life 17 years prior to its eventual release; a project that had many Hollywood stars attached over its troubled production period, including the popular Johnny Depp.
Depp, who has just been through an extensive defamation lawsuit with his actress ex-wife, Amber Heard, was originally slated to star as Toby Grummett alongside Vanessa Paradis as the female lead. However, due to funding issues and the eventual lack of interest from Depp, Gilliam called in Ewan McGregor to replace the future Captain Jack Sparrow star.
In a recent interview with GQ, McGregor has spoken out about the experience of stepping into the Don Quixote project and how Gilliam shocked him with his rude comments. IndieWire reports:
“[Terry Gilliam] says, ‘What the f*** have you been doing all this time? You’ve been underplaying everything,’” McGregor recalled. “‘What happened to the guy in ‘Trainspotting’? What happened to that guy?!’”
The Obi-Wan Kenobi icon said:
“It was quite rude. It’s rare that somebody challenges you. But it stuck with me.”
As the report goes on to say, Gilliam spoke of McGregor’s performance back in 2010:
“There’s a lot of colors to Ewan that he’s not been showing recently and it’s time for him to show them again […] He’s got a great sense of humor and he’s a wonderful actor. He’s wonderfully boyish and can be charming — when he flashes a smile, everybody melts. He wields it like a nuclear bomb.”
Related: Johnny Depp Shocks Fans With Surprise Appearance 4,000 Miles From Courthouse
Unfortunately, fans would never get to see McGregor in the role as funding once again fell through. The project would eventually find its release in 2018 with another Star Wars star, Adam Driver, who played Ben Solo/Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017), and Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
As for Ewan McGregor, the actor’s future as Obi-Wan Kenobi is relatively uncertain. While Chow and writer Joby Harold’s series was pitched as a limited event, rumors are swirling over a second season of the record-breaking drama. His wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, will star in the upcoming Ahsoka series starring Rosario Dawson.
While Johnny Depp was fired from his roles as Captain Jack Sparrow in The Walt Disney Company’s Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and Gellert Grindelwald in the Fantastic Beasts franchise, his significant win over Amber Heard at the Fairfax County, Virginia, defamation court case may open the door for the actor to return to the big screen sometime soon.
All episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi are now streaming on Disney+.
Did you know Ewan McGregor replaced Johnny Depp in Terry Gilliam’s movie? Let us know in the comments down below!