PT New Article| Ewan: "Quite difficult" when Prequels weren't "well received..."

It seems to me having a vivid imagination should be a prerequisite for being an....actor? I'm far from a professional actor, but I've had my fair share of acting classes and drama club practice throughout my life, and being able to visualize something and pretend it's there is an extremely common component of training exercises. I feel comfortable saying it's a valuable and arguably essential skill for an actor to have.

It sounds like it's not something Ewan enjoys doing. That's fine, whatever. But that's no excuse for him to act unprofessional, constantly throw barely disguised shade at his former director, and totally dismiss the existence of the very fanbase that is largely the reason for the opportunity he is now being given.

Do you think Harrison Ford thinks George Lucas is the greatest writer or director in the world? Probably not. Have you ever really heard him say that, aside from that one decades-old "You can type this ****" joke line that gets tossed around all the time? No, because Ford is a consummate professional and he respects the people he works with.

Hayden Christensen has talked in the past about the difficulties of acting against blue/green screen. He's even talked about the difficulties he had with the dialogue. But he's the same as Ford. He's done it in a professional way. He's never disparaged the movies he was in or tried to blame the director for anything. And in terms of criticism, he obviously got it way, way, way worse than Ewan ever did. In fact I don't think anyone--even the worst prequel critics--have ever really said anything about Ewan except how good he was in the movies.

So, you know, he should probably get over it. Maybe I'm wrong, but he sure seems to be doing pretty well for himself for having been in those movies.

 

It just seems, to me, that whenever anyone has anything negative to say about George Lucas, the general response from PT fans is that they should just keep their mouth shut. Watching a group of people instinctively defend someone who doesn't even know they exist is just fascinating to me.

 

Why is it fascinating to you? Elaborate, I'm curious.

 

It's just because I don't understand why.

 

You don't understand why someone might defend a person who doesn't know they exist? Really? Well, okay.

 

Not in this particular case, no.

 

Why do you think someone might defend a person who doesn't know they exist in a case other than this? Maybe because they think that person deserves to be defended on the merits of the case, right? Most people do that sort of thing all the time, obviously.

So really, what you're saying is that you don't understand why I'm defending George Lucas right now, because you disagree with me that it's merited. Okay, that makes sense to me. But then what does the fact that he doesn't know I exist have to do with it? That's what I'm confused about. I don't see why it matters. I'm just trying to understand what we're talking about here.

 

Outside of Hayden saying something that along the lines that he wished film schools taught more greenscreen acting, Hayden has always repeated how much he enjoyed the experience overall and has never even disparaged the films or Lucas in a roundabout way.

@FightoftheForgotten Can be as simple as defending the artistic choices of the man. In a similar way, some people who are mad at Lucas about the OOT have a tendency to get personal about their views on Lucas as a man, father, husband, etc. You're more inclined to defend/disparage depending on your personal views of his endeavors artistically.

 

Maybe defend wasn't as specific a word as I should have used. I guess it's just the need to silence the opposing opinion that I find odd. And it's not even really an opinion. Ewan stating that he found it challenging to act in the PT because of the green screen is a fact because he did feel that way.

I guess it'd be like, if someone said they had a hard time walking on uneven terrain, and someone else immediately just told them to stop complaining. I can wrap my head around other people enjoying walking on uneven terrain, but to try and silence the other viewpoint, or get upset that someone vocalized it, it's just odd to me.

 

Yes, the point is that you don't have to keep your mouth shut. There are professional ways to talk about these things. The thing that irritates me about Ewan's press appearances is that there's always this unmistakable undercurrent of trying to let everyone know that George isn't a very good director and so it wasn't Ewan's fault that he was in movies that got criticized. And I could actually probably forgive that if weren't for the fact that Ewan did not make out badly by any stretch of the imagination. In this case he's literally giving a press interview for his headlining role in a lucrative project that wouldn't even be happening were it not for the success of the prequels. And yet here he is saying they were "universally not very much liked." Come on, that's absurd!

Obviously it's no secret at all that I like and admire George Lucas and the prequel films, and so I find this sort of behavior grating and ridiculous.

Who am I trying to silence? Are you referring to my criticism of the manner in which a person expressed themselves about a subject in a public interview? Somehow I suspect ol' Ewan will be able to wriggle free of my muzzle.

 

Just the general consensus that he was paid and needs to get over himself. Makes it sound like you're essentially saying he should just shut up. To me, anyway.

I mean, he's just speaking his truth. Right?

 

Not just that but specifically in the ever bizarre way that gets applied to the prequels with no consistency but entirely dependent upon what is beneficial to whoever brings up what about them is liked at that instance.

In the case of this instance:

George Lucas casts Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, he's write and directs all the movies that he appears in but McGregor's take is "was hard they didn't get well received. That was quite difficult. They were universally not very much liked." except of course for himself. He was very much liked so apparently he was all by himself able to overcome Lucas, the not Shakespeare dialogue and working with no environment there. That is by ignoring all the times it was there in whole or part!

I've found that he's usually been more tactful previously but this time he's actively deriding them which is simply unprofessional in the first place but more to the point this latest "They were universally not very much liked." is objectively incorrect.

I'd say that would be preferable to this latest turn. Having basic professional respect for a director like Lucas who paid him extremely well to star in movies that are despite what he seems to believe are very much liked. As above though maybe it's just ego that he "overcame" the odds of these "universally disliked" movies and is the only thing in them that is liked which is why this series exists.

As is often the case it's best to separate the art from the artist. It's not like we know any of these people so whatever his personal views are and however they don't line up with easily demonstrable facts like the success and production of the movies that's the story he's wants to promote.

 

So if a PT actor says something positive about Lucas, that's fine?
But if a PT actor says something negative about Lucas, that's not fine?

 

Couldn't resist.

 

I agree that Ewan's attitude is becoming more and more tedious and annoying. He's been repeating this stuff for years and when you could think he'd get more positive while revisiting the character, you're left disappointed and it's just the same old story being told again. I don't even think he wants to criticize George that much, what actually disappoints me and really diminishes my anticipation for the Obi-Wan Kenobi project is that he doesn't seem to enjoy or value his own prequel character that much. Someone carrying a show who has that little respect or enthusiasm for the character on its own it not something that rises my anticipation.

I also don't like his slightly demeaning attitude towards those young people he met who told him they liked the prequels best, which in itself is contradicting the impression he gives now that the Prequels were "universally" not very much liked. I get it wasn't easy for him and I get (as others have said) that he ended up on the more bluescreen-heavy production half of the films. I just don't want to hear it anymore when he's promoting a show that capitalizes on those three very films he's trashing.

His enthusiasm for the new technology is also kind of puzzling. It's nice, I get that, but you can't tell me it is or even feels remotely "real".

On the positive side, this makes me appreciate Hayden (especially) even more and (also) Natalie, who too struggeled with blue screen at the time but came to a lot more productive and reflective perspective.

 

I agree with all of this. I read the Hollywood Reporter article this morning and felt extremely disappointed with what he said, as much as love his take on the character and am extremely excited for the Obi -Wan show. But this leaves a sour taste. Its just unprofessional. I could talk about my admiration for the prequels for a very long time and how misunderstood I believe they were (and still are tbh), and Ewan should bother to inform himself enough to know that they were not, and are not “universally” not very much liked. The “Shakespeare” jibe was just completely unnecessary.

 

I never really get the whole 'green screen makes it hard to act' thing myself. The OT used compositing for matte paintings. Contemporaneously with the Prequels, LOTR had tons of blue screen filming. And today there's nary an action film that doesn't rely on copious green screening (see the finale of Endgame, shot entirely in such a way). That's not a criticism from me at all. Some landscapes and effects just can't be done with full sets, and it hampers the imagination to restrict yourself to what you can build physically at full scale.

Even then, I'd say around 90% of PT backgrounds are practical, along with many of the ships (more in TPM, slightly less as time went on). I don't think there's a single miniature or model ship in any of the newer SW films (which still isn't a problem for me, rather annoyance at this constant 'real deserts' line).

To bring up LOTR again, sure, that had the advantage of copious filming on location throughout New Zealand, but that's due to the relative mundanity (such as it is) of the featured landscapes. It's easy to stick a camera outside at some mountains or pastoral forests. Not so much to create a giant sinkhole world or a city-wide planet. For that, miniatures and CG are required for every shot. It's simply the only way to pull off such locations, I don't know why anyone considers it in any way noteworthy to comment on. There's no campaigns of disparagement for any other movies like this (ok, maybe the Hobbit movies, but even there I'll staunchly defend their effects ).

I mean, look at these poor actors, being forced to act on blank backgrounds:


The horror, what filmmaker would use such cruel techniques

 

And Lucas's actors for some reason stay in front of decorations

 

It shouldn't be odd to you. Let's call it what it is: drawing lines in the sand.

We SW fans tend to get so passionate about what we like/dislike about the various aspects of the franchise that we are often willing to cannibalize and condemn parts of it that we disagree with (actors, directors, writers, fans, etc) and celebrate those who fall in line with what we do like.

Ergo: Despite the fact that he was (arguably) the best thing about the Prequels, you see fans knocking/mocking Ewan McGregor for sharing his truth because it doesn't line up with some people's sensibility and views about the Prequels.

Imagine if this "he should just shut up" about his experiences/viewpoint was applied to John Boyega (GASP!)

 

I disagree with the way he's expressing himself. Believe it or not, historically, some people have disagreed with the way I've expressed myself in various venues! Do you think I might have a case with the ACLU?

If Lucas treated them poorly and they want to make that public, that's fine. If they want to complain about how bad a director Lucas is while literally in the midst of reaping the benefits of the films he directed them in--yeah, they should shut it. Frankly.

So the prequels being "universally not very much liked" is just Ewan's truth, eh? That would explain why it doesn't exactly line up with, you know, the truth.

I love this "so-and-so's truth" bit. It's such a fun way of deflecting any and all accountability for anything anyone says about anything.

 

I was talking about his experience on set and acting in front of green screens, issues with dialogue, etc.

I disagree with his assessment that the Prequels were "universally not very much liked." In particular, I think ROTS was very well received.

That said, he's welcome to his opinion. Furthermore, as a primary star/artist involved with the creation of these movies, I do think his words hold a uniquely intimate perception of the situation, if not a more valid opinion on things.

 

And other actors have talked about their difficulties with those things, and have miraculously managed to not come across as bitter whiners.

You do not simply "disagree" with his "assessment" that the prequels were "universally not very much liked." You know that it's not a true statement. The fact that Ewan can spout something like that while promoting a project that proves it to be objectively incorrect goes to show just how much of a chip he has on his shoulder. Ultimately, the problem I think Ewan has is that he thought being in the Star Wars prequels would make him cool and universally respected as a serious actor, but instead they became punch lines in Gen X pop culture. That's obviously what grates on him the most. He's embarrassed by it.

His perception of the situation may be more "intimate," but that's a double-edged sword. It means he can't necessarily see the bigger picture and realize that a lot of people (tellingly, mostly not in his peer group) actually really liked the movies, and that they made him a more famous and beloved cultural icon than he likely ever would have been had he not been in them. He can't see that because his initial, overwhelming associations of shame and embarrassment can't allow him to connect the Star Wars prequels to his subsequent level of notability and success.

The thing about speaking one's truth is that it allows others to examine precisely where and how that truth departs from reality, and all the attendant implications about the person speaking it.

 

Do you have an actual source for that? Any proof that 51% of all people who saw the PT liked it?

He doesn't have any sources either, so it just sounds like a stalemate of opinions. More to the fact, I think a lot of PT fans enjoy that most of the people who dislike the PT just don't care to voice their opinion anymore. And I think Ewan speaking out risks the threat of those disinterested fans voicing their opinions again. I think that may be the overall issue.

 

It's might be something along those lines but who was there in any Star Wars movie that wasn't already considered a "serious" actor made into one by being in them? If not for Magnum P.I. stopping Tom Selleck from being Indy then Harrison Ford would have had a very different career.

Maybe for whatever reason he thought that being in them would raise his standing in the Hollywood community in terms of stature? Then he realized that Lucas' movies were actually effectively outside the Hollywood community. On the surface they seem like Hollywood studio movies but they are really massively expensive independent movies.

He got a greater overall fame for them and tons of fans but apparently that isn't quite what he wanted. Otherwise why be so bitter? What's more I don't recall him ever being this negative before which is all the stranger since he's doing a series that is very specifically a follow-up to ROTS. Just from a basic promotional point of view he should be talking about how for those who haven't seen them catch up on his Star Wars movies in preparation for this series.

 

It's not an opinion that the prequels were "universally not very much liked." That's false. Do you know what "universally" means? It's certainly not a word that fits comfortably when referring to some of the most successful movies of all time, for which there's still a sizable and devoted fanbase decades later, both of which facts are the very reason he is giving an interview for a new series he is starring in. I don't think you actually want a "source" (whatever that even means), nor is this something I think you're actually confused about, because I really don't see how that would be possible.

The issue is that I like the prequels and disagree with Ewan criticizing them for what I consider spurious reasons while he is literally in the midst of benefitting from their success. You don't exactly need a psychology degree to decode my motivations here, I promise you. I've spelled them out for you.

Do you think I should stop expressing these opinions? Hmmm.