It’s been 17 years since Star Wars fans last saw Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. This week, he returns in his very own prequel series bridging the gap between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.
He isn’t the only one returning though. In the limited series, he’s joined by Hayden Christensen, who’ll be reprising his role as Darth Vader, as well as Joel Edgerton and Bonnie Piesse. Edgerton and Piesse will return as Luke Skywalker’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru respectively.
Thanks to Kathleen Kennedy, we know to expect the “rematch of the century” between Kenobi and Darth Vader. But what about Owen and Beru? We know that a much younger version of Luke Skywalker will appear in the series and that, because the series takes place before Episode IV, both guardians can’t be killed off. But how else could the two factor into the events of the series?
In an attempt to find some answers, The DisInsider’s Editor-in-Chief Dempsey Pillot spoke exclusively to Beru actress Bonnie Piesse himself. While she couldn’t say much about the series, her excitement about returning to the role did speak volumes.
Piesse’s role as Beru was her first breakout role. When asked about how she got it, she joked that she actually manifested it by way of “the Force.” She said, “I used the Force. For real. I was acting in Australia, I had done some TV shows and [then] I heard that they were shooting Star Wars in Sydney. And they weren’t shooting very many Hollywood projects [there] at that point, so it was kind of exciting.”
She manifested being a part of the franchise, before eventually being contacted by her agent. “They wanted to audition me for the role of Beru and yeah…that was that,” she said.
Although it seemed unlikely she would never get to play the role again after Revenge of the Sith, she told The DisInsider that she secretly always hoped for a return somehow, especially as rumors of an Obi-Wan Kenobi project began to swirl several years ago.
“Star Wars [usually honors] the old the actors that have been in the previous one, Piesse said. “So I was really thinking, ‘Come on, come on.’ And there were rumors over the years, Ewan had mentioned that he’d love to come back. And Joel had mentioned that as well. So I was just hoping and so glad that it came back around in this way.”
She expressed her gratitude for the series taking so long to come to fruition because had it happened any sooner, she may not have been able to do it. For those who don’t know, Piesse and her husband are formers members of the American multi-level marketing company and cult NXIVM. Her experience and difficult departure from the organization, which can be seen chronicled in the HBO docuseries The Vow, took a negative toll on her. Being given the opportunity to return to the franchise she loved so much marked the beginning of a much brighter second act and a new hope (pun intended).
Piesse also said returning to the franchise at this later stage in life allowed her to bring a deliberate sense of “maturity and gratitude” to the role. At that point, she offered a small tease of what to expect from Beru this time around. She said, “[She’s] a mother now. So you can really see that she’s a full on mother. That’s her life.”
While not the biggest piece of information, because the franchise has been thematically built on dealing with the sins of fathers and father-figures, a little motherly could be exactly what takes this series to new heights.
Piesse also called the setting of the series “interesting,” while promising “a fun glimpse” at things fans have only been dreaming of seeing in live action.
And when asked if she could return for a potential Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru spin-off, well… you’ll just have to listen to the full interview below to find out!
…with Francis Galluppi – On Tape
Obi-Wan Kenobi will hit Disney+ exclusively on May 27th.
Deborah Chow, who helmed several episodes of the first season of The Mandalorian, will both produce and direct the entire 6-episode series.
Aside from McGregor, Christensen, Edgerton, and Piesse, Jimmy Smits will also reprise his original role from the franchise too.
Moses Ingram (The Queen’s Gambit) And Rupert Friend (Homeland) lead the remaining supporting cast as the franchise’s first live-action Inquisitors. Friend appears to playing The Grand Inquisitor in the series.
The rest of the cast consists of Kumail Nanjiani (The Big Sick), O’Shea Jackson Jr. (Straight Outta Compton), Indira Varma (Game of Thrones), Sung Kang (Fast and Furious franchise), Simone Kessell (Terra Nova), Benny Safdie (Pieces of a Woman), Maya Erskine (Pen15), and Flea.
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