The galaxy far, far away has never felt closer to Ewan McGregor.
It’s been 20 years since Revenge of the Sith hit theaters, closing out the Star Wars prequel trilogy that featured McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi. Since then, the actor has reprised his role as the iconic Jedi Master for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series, which he says deepened his connection to the franchise.
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Reflecting on what Revenge of the Sith and Star Warsmean to him all these years later, McGregor tells Parade in an exclusive new interview, “I love it. I’m so much closer to it now than I ever was, in a way.”
“And after doing the Obi-Wan series and having met a lot of the kids who are now adults, who loved the prequels, so I’ve got a sort of connection to their love for those films that I didn’t used to know about,” he adds. “And so that made a big difference. Yeah. It’s nice.”
While this year is the 20th anniversary ofStar Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, McGregor’s latest project Long Way Home marks the 20th anniversary of his and best friend Charley Boorman’s first motorcycle adventure.
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“Sometimes you feel every single day of those 20 years,” McGregor jokes, adding that at other times, “It’s gone in a flash.”
The Golden Globe winner and Boorman hit the road once again, journeying across Europe on vintage motorcycles for the fourth installment in the Long Way series. “It’s been a pleasure each season,” Boorman tells Parade.
The road trip docuseries is admittedly part of McGregor’s life “in a very important way.” “I couldn’t have imagined when we were planning to do this or dreaming to do Long Way Round in 2003, we started talking about it and planning it, but we were very particular about how we wanted it to be,” the Moulin Rouge! star says.
“That’s what’s interesting, is that we started something then, that we still believe in today. The way we travel, the way we have a very, very small footprint when we’re traveling,” he continues.
McGregor and Boorman rode through 17 countries in Apple TV+’s Long Way Home with their cameramen Claudio and Max, who were on a third bike. Producers Russ Malkin and David Alexanian followed with a small crew.
“But most of the time, I’d say 80 percent of the time on this trip, it was just me, Charley, Claudio and Max. And that’s how we always wanted to do it. Keep it real. Keep it small,” McGregor says. “So when you arrive somewhere, you’re not turning up with loads of cameras and boom poles and all that stuff that makes people react differently than they would if it’s just the two of us. We love it.”
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While some have suggested that the series is an escape from his film work, McGregor notes that’s not the case. “I love being an actor. I love my job, and I love this as well,” he shares. “This is part of that for me. We are making a film. “
And the pals have already served as an inspiration to one young man they met while traveling in Europe. “When Ewan and I were in Norway somewhere, we bumped into this young guy who had watched the show 20 years ago, and he was on his motorbike having his adventure,” Boorman recalls. “We were sort of going opposite ways. He was coming down, we were going up, and he said, ‘I’m so delighted to see you guys. Because of you guys, I’m doing this myself.’ And he said, ‘I remember watching you guys sitting on the sofa with my mum and dad when I was a little boy.'”
Boorman laughs, “That was a little bit painful for us, but so nice that he still enjoys motorcycles and is doing his own adventures.”
Long Way Home is currently streaming on Apple TV+
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