Are Ewan McGregor And Hayden Christiansen Friends?

When "Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace" premiered in May 1999, fans of the franchise got to see the origin stories behind some of the film's most ferocious villains — including Darth Vader. In the first prequel, Anakin Skywalker — the young version of Darth Vader — was played by a child actor named Jake Lloyd, per IMDb. In "Episode II — Attack of the Clones" — which takes place 10 years later — a slightly older Hayden Christiansen played Anakin, while Ewan McGregor reprised his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi, the child's leading mentor. As the prequel trilogy progressed, tensions between Obi-Wan and Anakin came to a head.

Due to the intense divide between the Sith and Jedi forces, and with how Christiansen and McGregor embodied their characters, fans wonder if they remained friends in the years since the films came out. With Disney+ announcing a new "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series that finds them reprising their characters, fans are asking the same question once more: Are McGregor and Christiansen friends behind the scenes?

With Hayden Christiansen and Ewan McGregor reuniting for the "Star Wars" spin-off series "Obi-Wan Kenobi," fans were left wondering how the pair would interact onscreen again, as nearly two decades have passed since they starred in the "Star Wars" prequels. However, someone involved with the upcoming Disney+ series has cleared up any confusion. Although neither actor has publicly spoken in-depth about having an off-screen friendship, Lucasfilm's Kathleen Kennedy opened up about the two co-stars during an interview with Empire, revealing that there has been no love lost.

"The thing that was most exciting was being on the set and watching the two of them get excited," Kennedy said. "They hadn't seen one another in a long time." So while Christiansen and McGregor may be too busy to hang out offscreen, it's clear that they enjoy each other's company. Kennedy also said she was "surprised at just how incredibly emotional" their reunion was, and how excited they were to reprise these iconic characters. "['Star Wars'] was the beginning of their careers," she said. "Certainly, [Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi] are not characters we're going to forget."

The "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series, with Ewan McGregor reprising his role, has been nearly a decade in the making. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the project was actually set to be a feature film until Disney+ launched and the company began focusing on streaming. As rumors about the project began to spill, though, McGregor found himself unable to comment, subjected to an NDA. "I'd see stuff on social media like, 'They better cast Ewan as Obi-Wan,'" he said, "and I wasn't able to say anything." Once the project was announced in August 2019, McGregor finally found himself able to comment.

During Disney's Investor Day in 2020, McGregor spoke about his role in the forthcoming series — and one particular thing he was very excited about. "The most beautiful thing of all is that it's brought me back together with Hayden [Christiansen]," he said, per Comic Book. "It'll be amazing to bring those characters back together again, very unexpectedly." He also expressed gratitude over getting a second chance at portraying the legendary Jedi, as his initial performance received rather lukewarm reception, as The Hollywood Reporter noted. "Having another swing at each other might be quite satisfying for everybody," he said. "We hope that you enjoy it as much as we're going to enjoy making it."