While it’s a shame that their respective places in the Star Wars timeline means that we won’t be seeing their characters of Obi-Wan and Hera sharing scenes together (unless we get some clever plotting, de-ageing or one or the other plays a different character) Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have been keen to work together since meeting on the set of Fargo eight years ago, and with both very busy they managed to do that, working on A Gentleman In Moscow for Paramount Plus. For the uber busy Winstead it added to an very successful period of her career with roles in Ahsoka and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, while for McGregor it underline how much modern television – a very different beast to 20 years ago – is as much a part of his workload as movies and convention appearances.
For McGregor, it was something new and exciting, especially because he was involved from the start. “I’ve been a producer on things before, and it hasn’t meant a great deal. And I’m learning what it does mean,” he says. “You’re not going to be in the office signing checks for people, but it was really nice to be in the conversations, finding a director and casting.”
While successful in films — ie., “Trainspotting,” “Moulin Rouge” and the “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, to name a few — McGregor has really thrived in television during the last seven years with “Fargo,” “Halston” (which won him an Emmy Award) and “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” It’s not that he has a preference of one over the other, but the industry has changed, as has his life.
“I love making movies. I always dreamed of being a movie star. Then I was in movies. Every time I would sit there at the premiere, I couldn’t believe I was up there [on screen]. I still have that, I guess, but I don’t know what it means exactly,” he says.
While TV shows allow actors more time to develop a character and tell a story, they’re also a longer commitment. “They’re enormously taxing. A movie, you can shoot in a couple of months, and you can throw yourself heart and soul into that. You know the light is down at the tunnel. When you’re doing something that’s six months long, at the end of your first month, you’re exhausted!”
