And please welcome to the meacon 2024 stage let’s hear it for un McGregor Helly there he wouldn’t listen to me didn’t take orders if only we here list they filming listen no I think they they’d opened it was one the Obi-Wan caner Kenobi series MH Obi-Wan Canary that’s that’s the spin-off that
You don’t know about that’s his C no spoilers caneri um and his mission to 2 to1 he has like a little bird that the story of the bird that’s right little laser sword what was I saying couple of episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi some of you might have been
There it was fantastic I mean it was so exciting to be amongst all the people and see on the big screen and then the next day I it was the first time I’d i’ done a a a ComiCon I had never done one before and I just thought well I’m in
Anaheim and it was celebration I thought I’m going to do it and see what see what it’s like and I did it and and I realized I liked it and that’s why I’m still doing them here so because it’s is a feel nice to meet you that’s really nice so but that next
Day we had some time and we went to Disney so we went no it was that night I can’t remember we went at night and it were just like me and Mary walking around you know with a cap on and we just about got away with it we didn’t
Get just in the in public yeah oh my gosh yeah but I had seen it before so if those people know knew that you were just wandering around I just I caught a couple of people’s eye you know and I was like yeah I just well i’ there’s an awful lot
Of nice fan art that we see while we’re signing uh or while we’re taking photographs of people um yeah there was some nice there was there’s always nice I just like when young people have done drawings you know and I always like to try and and always encourage them to
Keep keep going you know and and cuz it is such a that that side of our nature is often the one that get gets sort of trampled down first you know in our trying to get through school and college and I went down to the where we’d shot
The in the studio where we shot the the series and met Deborah and we and she sat me in this little screening room and then press play and left you know so I just watched one two and three alone and it was it was awesome to see I
Mean it was just yeah incredible to see what because I was so thrilled um with her wor so she’s so talented Deborah Cho our director and I wanted to have just somebody’s one person’s vision my God she’s so brilliant she knows the world inside out she was always telling
Me what was what about you know like things that I was supposed to know about the world you know she just keeping me right um that’s funny was there yeah was there something that you kind of came back to you or that you forgot all the time all the time names
Of planets names of droids yeah and names of everything no no she was brilliant and um but when I watched the last three I did the same so I went away weren’t quite finished I I watched the first three and then I came back some weeks
Later and again sat alone but I was like the the sixth one really got me you know I was just sitting there with tears rolling down my face watching I was so touched by it it was originally going to be a movie and you know I’ve often
Thought well should it have been a movie or but I kind of think it’s great that we did it that way and it’s a longer story and hopefully it’s more satisfying as a result we got more screen you know more time to to weave a story
Um yeah just hope we can do another one can everyone write to Disney I’ll give you some email addresses at the end just say dear Disney let’s have another let’s have a bit more of obiwan good Obby please uh we are about to bring as you just said uh your brother um ad
Skywalker on stage a little bit later both like seeing him back on set for for the first time the first first god well it’s amazing it was amazing cuz you can’t imagine we were very close when we shot the prequels you know I mean I’d done the first one which hay of course
Wasn’t in and then we went to we shot the first one in London and uh then they moved the whole shoot to Australia where we shot the second one and the third one um and so Hayden arrived and I I just was so um impressed with him when right
For off the bat he was such a serious act young actor and he you know he G he just had so much thought about it and he he talked about it not in he talked about it in a deep way like he was really trying to mine it for everything
That he could get out of it as an actor and I I I really admired that about him and um and we were shooting away you know we were all I didn’t live in Australia neither did he so we spent a lot of time together and um yeah we were
Just had this and we spent a lot time learning these fights and um and then we had that relationship on screen you know the sort of uh brother what’s the fancy word for Brotherhood fraternal no that’s father oh yeah fraternity fraternity fraternal relationship yeah fraternal yeah fraternal jet three flights three flights three
Flights everybody brotherly relationship and um yeah I just love him to bits and then we didn’t seen each other for a long time so when when I knew that um we were going to be doing this series and I I’d met him by chance um during the lockdown I met him
Somewhere and I was able to say look I think we’re going to do a series of Obi-Wan and at that point we didn’t know exactly what the story was had no idea if we were going to so I wasn’t able to say you know I want you to be in it or
Anything like that it’s cuz I didn’t know yet where the story was going to go and um but then when I when I did know that we we were going to ask him to do it oh God and then when we got on set I
Mean I’ve never seen so many people on a film set in my life came on I was like a lot of there’s a lot of people on this film set today what’s going on and then I turned around and Hayden’s coming on I’m like I see cuz everybody was there to see him
Yeah and it was um both of you they were here no no but was kind of and the first thing we did I think I’m right and saying the first thing we shot was the flashback sequence in episode 4 and um so we were also like we looked like we
Did in I mean we had dots all over our face we do a little bit of little bit of help making us younger but um apart from that we were in the old costume you know and then we were doing that fight that just great so
Yeah it was an amazing experience in it was like I what I love about shooting it also was that when I this the crew um from for the Obi-Wan Kenobi series were real fans you know like an awful lot of people that work in Star Wars now are
Fans you know and that that didn’t that wasn’t the case before when we made the prequels but I love that so there was like a real Buzz whenever we were together that’s awesome yeah it’s awesome looking around that speaker that’s not much f is it sorry I feel like we should move over
There sorry oh we’re up there okay you’re God idiot I didn’t know that was there you’re fine I’m much better looking up there anyway I hope don’t forget to don’t forget to stand up and say hello to those folks on that so sorry for you sorry you got the safety of how the
The how the swords have evolved for sure and when we made the prequels we had a guy uh who who’s who had a he had like a cart he had like Thomas what Thomas Thomas somebody named Thomas Thomas Thomas Thomas the lightsaber maker is he here
Thomas have you are you here he’s Thomas is in the bathroom somebody get him now I was going on to say Thomas obviously was his cart and he we had these um they were they were made of some sort of alloy they were metal and uh they would
Baned after every single take um and when Haven and I repli to each other often didn’t make it through the take cuz we just went at e each other so hard and um that they’ve changed now so now they have actual uh swords that light up which is what gave us those amazing
Lighting changes in that in that end scene um in the series we had our swords here and his face was we were blue someone get that phone and then as we moved over here our faces turned red and and it was just like magic you know we like oh my God so
We um but they don’t fight as well as the old ones do they they they have a tendency to sort of go sort of like just isn’t quite as satisfying as when they used to and but we would we would always catch each other’s fingers cuz they
Don’t have George in his wisdom decided not to give them a hilt most most sword designers in the world you know throughout history have put a hilt there so that you don’t get your apples wrapped but anyway and then I still need one and then kylo Ren
Decides his Hilt is a lightsaber which is completely ridiculous that’s right yeah I mean come on he’s got all the protection he needs right there look at there is that is that too much to ask for a little thank you the first one was the
Accent like I I went to um I went to do some castings with Deborah and um we read with several different actors for some of the roles and um I I just it was months before we started the shoot but I went down we did it on the set of uh the
Mandal set on a Sunday when they weren’t working so we had a bit of a set there and I I went down there on a Sunday morning and I was taken to dressing room and there was like Obi-Wan’s clothes hanging up like so I guess not my old
Costume but it certainly looked like some of it could have been and um so suddenly was putting all this costume back on again and looking in the mirror like wow been like a long time it sort of hit me in a way what I was about to
Do and then I went on set and I um hadn’t really given it much thought I just thought well it’ll be all right and and I got upset and it was just not you know these poor little actors who were were reading for all these other roles
And I was I was just like trying to do the but one try to do Obi-Wan and it was just coming out like some Posh English guy and nothing at all like Obi-Wan or Alec Guinness and so that was the first challenge was like oh I see I’ve got to
Remind myself and I and that’s what I always did in the prequels was I just sort of watched Alec Guinness all the time and not only just in Star Wars but in all his early films um and now I was a bit older I got to watch him in some
Of his older films um wanted to just try it always has to try it always has to I don’t try and do an impersonation of Alec Guinness at all but but it has to feel like him to me and um and and that often it it that’s when
I know that I’m happy to move on with a take that just starts feeling like I like it yeah shout out to Sir Alec Guinness obviously the [Applause] great you you did an amazing job of transitioning Margo marcoo from East Brunswick New Jersey Margo you out there
Um yeah what’s up Margo uh asked that what aspects of the original trilogy inspired your characters so so yeah you spoke on it were there was it voice was it physicality was it everything with with Al yeah all of it I mean there’s something there’s just something so
Iconic about his performance oh my God it’s like he’s over there you see just in that moment a man walked there’s a Obi Kenobi Yeah sorry I’m sorry I’m my best oh that was Prett did you see it that was a force ghost he’s now he’s gone completely so that’s even crazier Force G Alec Guinness you shoot the prequels and you move on to some of our favorite movie musicals or music movies
With musicals in them or musical moments Mulan R down with down with Beauty in the Beast the live action so Ash you this one what what is that like for you like what what was the transition as an actor into a a musical movie or or a movie with songs and music
I’ve always I mean I’ve Always sung I’ve always been musical through school I was I you know I wanted I was only interested in exactly I was only interested and perform you know anything that felt like perform I always think I always knew I
Wanted to be an actor and so I found it difficult to be interested in academics I should have been but I wasn’t and um so music was a way for me through school to to sort of perform I suppose so I was a I I sang and it was really from a
Young age and I was a soloist in the choir you know Christmas carols and stuff I did Once in Royal David City when I was like six in a in a church like That terrifying I still remember the fear and um uh so that and then I was a side drummer in the pipe band I was a French horn player and just anything that allowed me to sort of do music so so to to then do the musical was like
Taking that on you know just we had great um singing coach on new AR Rouge and uh I loved it I loved recording we we worked with um the music producer Marius Def and we just recorded loads and loads of songs that didn’t make it into the show but we just kept recording
Different did I suggested we do for the end after Satine has died I I suggested we record I can’t live if living is without you Harry nson one oh goit it was a bit too on the nose um but we recorded it nonetheless oh wow somewhere everybody [Applause] attaining [Applause]
Hey everybody we’re going to say goodbye to him was a pleasure having him on stage give thank you so much you and I were backstage earlier uh talking about just how nice this event has been and and how much we’ve enjoyed getting to meet so many of you so this
Is this has been really great thank you just sent to me not long ago so I thought this would be a good place to sport it I love it I love it did you uh and that kind of brings up a question that we asked you and obviously you’re
You’re traveling around the world you’re meeting all these fans at these conventions we’re here in Orlando it’s a it’s a big city for Star Wars collectors um lightsabers and and figurines and uh apparel what’s been like the the the most interesting thing that you’ve gotten recently to sign or maybe just
Something out of all your signings a prop or a replica or or an apparel oh I don’t know there’s there’s there’s uh you know sign a lot of lightsabers and Darth Vader helmets but uh um I just like seeing the the the new artwork you know you you see all the
Artists come and and they do these amazing drawings and um and so that’s sort of what I what I get a kick out of now that it’s out there and we know yeah now that it’s out there and we know about it what is what is it like getting
That double reaction from fans so this another wave of fan reactions to your appearance in Ahsoka uh I I can’t tell you just how amazing the whole experience has been for me you know coming back on obi-1 was incredible getting to to to you know swing a
Lightsaber with you again was was a just yeah thrill um and then and then getting the phone call after we wrapped Obi-Wan I wasn’t aware of any other you know projects that I would be involved with we wrapped I got a phone call from Dave Fon and John Fabro
I was I was uh just so excited again um you know any any chance I get to to put on those Jedi robes I’ll take it uh yeah we had um obviously an ob- one we had the the Jedi robes from from the flashback we had the suit um of Darth uh
With the battle and then in Ahsoka we get we get the battle the battle outfit you know the I was I was I was just I don’t know so excited to get to to to portray that version of the character um you know when I uh when I had that call with with
Dave flon and John fa they were sort of walking me through mostly what was going to be in episode 5 and you know when he when he started talking about the world Between Worlds and then we going to go on this sort of Journey Through uh ahsoka’s memories and and that we were
Going to get to to to you know revisit the Clone Wars um I just thought you know I was just so excited about the whole thing people have said that uh that episode five Shadow Warrior is some of the best Star Wars they’ve ever seen
Uh in terms of it it just the feeling of it like you felt like you were in the world and also was bringing everything together all at once uh talk about the reaction to that specific episode um that that you were in you know and just how it’s really brought f together from
All the different Series yeah I mean you know the the the episode is is is a really great one um and what what Dave Fon accomplished is is really remarkable um you know sort of the the the the context of it and and the way it sort of informs
Ahsoka’s Journey um it it it it’s really clever storytelling um but you know the response has been really nice uh I I get people coming up to me on the streets just sort of saying like sooka episode 5 I know me too but yeah you know all of the all of
The praise should be directed towards Dave Fon that’s talk about that scene you know shooting it and then kind of seeing it with with post after post again I I I I I take no credit cuz all I did is I showed up I I walked that was all that was required
From me um and the way that you know they shot that and they cut it together and um I just thought that the whole episode came out you know better than I could have hoped that’s awesome um yeah a lot of people also praised you for um
Your integration of some of the um mannerisms and of of Matt Lanter you know you’re their voice actor uh yeah give it up give it up for M yeah that it it it felt like a seamless again a merging of of two amazing performances yours from the prequels and and Matt’s
From the the show um did did you did you listen to any of that did you study any of that or did it sort of just come natural just as you were progressing I no I I’ve been watching a lot of Clone Wars so I think some process of osmosis it kind of
It kind of made its way in um but but uh no it’s just it’s it’s a it’s a period in Anakin’s life that that I was aware of I thought was was very interesting and obviously they explored it uh a lot in the Clone Wars uh in the animated
Show that they did um but but the opportunity to get to do that in live action was was so compelling um and I I just I wanted to bring it to life in the most sort of exciting way possible and and follow Dave’s lead and and and just
Sort of you know bring to life what was on the page cuz it was all there in the script really enjoys working with writer directors because there’s there’s a little bit more clarity there and that you know you can kind of trust the script a little bit more it’s a more
Accurate road map uh you know when you have a director working off with someone else’s material there’s interpretation you always have to sort of wonder if your interpretations are are aligned um but but you know obviously Dave knows Star Wars so well and and he knows his
Character so well you know he he probably spent more time than I did working on Anakin and developing Anakin with George Lucas and uh so I I there was just a you know an immense amount of trust and you know I just I knew he had
A really exciting vision for it and just his his his way of of of being a a leader on set you know he really inspires everyone around him the way he speaks about Star Wars is so insightful you know I I remember when I was getting ready to do Obi-Wan I was
Sort of doing a deep dive on the internet just kind of looking for all of the information I I I found interesting and I came across this video of Dave talking about uh the the sort of the meaning behind the battle of the fat Duel of the Fate
Sorry and it was just so you know i’ never heard it sort of put that way before and it was it was just you know so smart and and insightful um and he’s just he he just naturally is like that you know um so it
Was it was a real joy to get to work with him and to see him you know sort of uh Inspire everyone on set it was great that’s awesome you mentioned doing doing this character that that it kind of it came back pretty easy um I just wanted
To sort of like learn about all the new Star Wars that maybe I wasn’t caught up with sure um and and and that was a really enjoyable process that’s awesome uh Anakin Skywalker is and d/ Darth Vader is arguably the most complex uh character in all of Star Wars right will we
Agree was there anything you were trying to insert uh in his journey to make sure the audience really like followed along um you mean in terms of the work we did in the prequels or or coming back I guess coming back to it after the prequels yeah knowing that you were kind
Of Bridging the Gap timeline L you know like yeah definitely when when we were doing h we won we did the flashback sequence and that was kind of like old hat like we we we’d done that before and um and so that was just good
Fun um going and doing the the scene is Vader that was new new territory right exactly um and then the same is true of of Ahsoka uh you know playing the sort of wise Mentor uh was was a version We we’d never sort of seen before um and and getting to do
That and then sort of you know try to bring to life the Clone Wars Anakin um it’s a balancing act you know uh and so even though I I know the character we’re still sort of um taking him in New Directions and and you just
Hope that it it resonates in a way uh with you guys as it did with me when I when I read the script um I think it resonated am I right everybody a lot of people talk about you talked about the quick transition from your back to Vader but I think it was
The glint in the eye when you turn from Evil to you know Dark Side to light side in yeah right come on thanks man yeah I I I actually didn’t that was the one part that I wasn’t really sure how we were going to do that
Yeah you know CU it was scripted as you know he he he sort of transitions back you know to Anakin yeah um and I wasn’t sure if it was going to be some special effect or what it was going to be uh and so that was just sort of
What came to us in the moment and and I really like that that bit too oh it’s beautiful it was a beautiful performance so thank you for that yeah yeah thank you is there anything that um you do specifically to kind of keep yourself in that good place that that positive place
That you can share with fans uh snowblowing yeah I snow blow in the winter time and I I and I sit on my ride on lawn mower in the summertime definitely helps everybody’s got their release I love it what the choreog graphy difficult in the fighting
Scenes between you both and how long did you both train for yeah I mean they’re they’re they’re very uh elaborate you know uh choreograph fights and they take a long time to learn because you know neither you and I are actually uh you know trained Swordsmen uh we’re just
Actors so um but but we took it very seriously and and uh and we spent you know months training uh when we were doing the prequels we drove to Australia a couple of months before and uh work with Nick Gillard shout out to ni shout out to Nick Gillard from the PRS just
Did amazing work um and that was that was that was a a a part of that process that I think I probably enjoyed the most um just getting to to go to work and it’s you’re you’re going to like Jedi training camp gosh um and it it was just
It was just a thrill light saers when you got hit on the knuckles it left a mark um and and and they would bend and they would get all warped and and it was almost like a bragging point though like if we if we did a fight scene and then one of our
Sabers was like all crooked go show it to the other one and be like hey look look what you did this time can can you reveal whose light it was more crooked at more yeah it it was a point of Pride but it you know we traded back and forth But but but yeah I mean especially that that that you know that fight on Mustafar we spent a lot of time training for that it was something that we knew was coming we knew there was going to be this big showdown between Anakin and obi-1 sure and we we wanted to make it
As epic as possible um yeah and so we trained and we trained we we we uh we got the pacing up you know to to to a really nice place then when we got to set we just you know we went from 10 to 11 and uh and yeah we were really
Cooking I love it do you think he still would have beaten anak no it was all about The High Ground correct answer correct answer that’s that that scene there you know and and I I always thought about about it you know that like in episode in episode one
When when yeah Obi-Wan is is fighting Maul Maul has The High Ground Y is down and he does this amazing move over him you know Cuts him in half uh and so I I I assumed that that would have been something that was like you know um folklore sort of level status Legend
Status you know at the Jedi Academy everyone talk talked about it obviously so then when we got you know when I’m confronted with the I of The High Ground I’m sure that Anakin was in the back of his head thinking I you know I’m I’m going to show Him and it just it didn’t work [Applause] out [Applause] If you guys enjoyed this video make sure to drop a like as well as subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already or even click to watch one of my other videos and May the force be with you
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