‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ could win Ewan McGregor an Emmy bookend
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Hello there! Obi-Wan Kenobi himself Ewan McGregor could be poised to make a quick return to the Emmys two years after he won Best Limited Series/TV Movie Actor for “Halston.” The Scottish actor will be competing in that same category this year for his titular role in the acclaimed Disney+ series “Obi-Wan Kenobi.”
After starring as the bearded Jedi in George Lucas‘ prequel trilogy, McGregor returned to the role for this limited series. In the “Star Wars” timeline, the action takes place between “Revenge of the Sith” and the one that started it all, “A New Hope.” The series opens with a defeated Obi-Wan in hiding and keeping an eye on the young Luke Skywalker on Tatooine. He’s sucked back into the world of heroic Jedi duty when a young Princess Leia is kidnapped. He is tasked with saving her while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan Anakin Skywalker, who is now Darth Vader (the returning Hayden Christensen)
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While his movie version of Obi-Wan had many colorful moments of wit and humor, this one is grey and defeated. McGregor’s expressions so well capture the aching pain of a man distraught at his failings as a friend and mentor. He is duty-bound to trudge onwards nevertheless. It’s a sorrowful, solitary life, and McGregor conveys this so well.
Critics praised his performance as the broken, deflated warrior looking for salvation.
Matt Purslow of IGN observed: “In a wonderful performance from an understated Ewan McGregor we see a man wracked by guilt and sorrow. In his slow, deliberate movements and tired eyes, McGregor reflects a man whose real struggles lie in his inability to let go of Anakin Skywalker, rather than the galaxy’s plight.”
CNN’s Brian Lowry noted: “McGregor – 17 years removed from ‘Revenge of the Sith’ – proves an enormous asset, perfectly capturing the legendary Jedi at this stage, still wounded by having lost Anakin Skywalker to the dark side and wearily left in a holding pattern that offers room for some hope but, under current circumstances, not a whole lot.”
And Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter applauded McGregor’s emotional performance as Obi-Wan, writing: “Above all, Obi-Wan Kenobi works because its protagonist does. McGregor, a consistent highlight of the prequel trilogy, is as every bit as good if not better here. He still bears traces of the swagger that Obi-Wan had in his younger days, and the dry sense of humor… But the older Obi-Wan has a haunted look in his eye and an invisible burden pressing down his shoulders. He really has changed, even if McGregor’s face is as familiar as ever.”
We see his aching loneliness and gut-wrenching guilt coupled with a quiet sadness. It’s affecting stuff from McGregor and he is more than deserving of recognition for his performance. At this time of writing, he sits outside our predicted line-up of contenders for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Actor. Our six predicted nominees are Steve Carell (“The Patient”), Michael Shannon (“George and Tammy”), Woody Harrelson (“White House Plumbers”), Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), Taron Egerton (“Black Bird”), and, in first place, Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”)
Among those also jockeying for a place: Jesse Eisenberg (“Fleishman is in Trouble”), Jesse Plemons (“Love and Death”), Justin Theroux (“White House Plumbers”), and Steven Yeun (“Beef”). If McGregor did earn an Emmy nomination, it would be his fifth overall. He was first nominated in 1997 for Drama Guest Actor for “ER” and then scored two nominations in 2017 — one for Best Narrator for “Highlands: Scotland’s Wild Heart” and one for Limited Series/TV Movie for “Fargo.” He then won on his fourth Emmy bid for “Halston.”
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