Ewan McGregor Recalls Filming Terrifying First Ever Darth Vader Scene

Star of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series Ewan McGregor reveals his 'frightening' experience on set when he first shared a scene with Darth Vader.

Ewan McGregor Recalls Filming Terrifying First Ever Darth Vader Scene

Star of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series Ewan McGregor reveals his terrifying experience on set when he first shared a scene with Darth Vader. Directed by Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian), the highly-anticipated miniseries is set ten years after the events of 2005’s Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, which capped off George Lucas’s Star Wars prequel trilogy. The story revolves around the titular Jedi master as he lives a solitary life in exile on Tattooine. When Darth Vader sets up a program to hunt down the last remaining Jedi after Order 66, Kenobi is forced to leave Tattoine and embark on an adventure.

McGregor reprises the iconic role for the first time since Revenge of the Sith. He is joined by an ensemble cast that includes returning actors Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, and Hayden Christensen, who once again plays the menacing Vader. New additions to the cast include Moses Ingram, Rupert Friend, Indira Varma, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Benny Safdie, Simone Kessell, and Kumail Nanjiani. There is plenty of buzz surrounding the series since it was first announced in 2019. However, the onscreen reunion of McGregor and Christensen is what has Star Wars fans excited the most.

Now, during his recent appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, McGregor disclosed his “frightening” experience on set when filming his first scene with Darth Vader. He pointed out that he “hadn’t acted” with Vader before in the prequel trilogy and even revealed that his co-star Christensen “didn’t have the helmet on” during rehearsals. McGregor mentioned that as soon as filming for the scene began, he was taken aback and felt “genuine fear” during his first interaction with the iconic villain. Check out his full quote below:

“It was frightening to see him again. I hadn’t acted with Darth Vader, you know. And I’ve been acting a long time, I’ve done a lot of stuff, but the first take with Darth Vader scared the **** out of me. It’s true. We rehearsed and he didn’t have the helmet on. Then I was getting made up and I guess they were sorting him out. And then they said, “Action!” and I’m walking down and I hear something, I turn around and ****, Vader’s coming at me. I swear to God, I just about **** my pants, really. I was, like, seven years old again. It was really genuine fear. I’ve made horror films and stuff before. Not frightening. But that was.”

McGregor’s comparison of Darth Vader to figures from horror movies may be debatable for certain sections of the fanbase. Nevertheless, the surprising fact that he never interacted with a suited-up Vader before the Obi-Wan Kenobi series makes his fearful reaction to his appearance quite understandable. The Scottish actor was only accompanied by Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy before the young Jedi apprentice turned to the Dark Side, with a fully-transformed Vader only appearing in the final moments of Revenge of the Sith.

McGregor had recently recalled a similar experience while shooting with Stormtroopers on the set of Obi-Wan Kenobi. However, that encounter wouldn’t hold a candle to the tall and imposing figure of Vader. McGregor’s reaction is quite apt given the intimidating look and sinister nature of the character. The creative team behind Obi-Wan Kenobi will be hoping that the response from viewers will be similar to Vader’s last film appearance in 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, where the Sith Lord featured in a minor yet impactful role. Audiences can catch their fan-favorite duo when Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres on Disney+ on May 27.