He’s gearing up to return to the Star Wars franchise in the upcoming Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.
But as we revealed on Sunday, Scots star Ewan McGregor has revealed he struggled with the fan backlash he received for taking on the character in the Star Wars prequels.
Hayden Christensen will also return to star as Darth Vader and the rest of the cast includes Moses Ingram, Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell and Benny Safdie.
The films – The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith – showed how young Anakin Skywalker became Darth Vader. Daily Star looks at what happened to the trilogy’s stars.
Ewan McGregor
(Image: Reuters)
Post-Star Wars, Ewan showed off his singing skills in Moulin Rouge alongside Nicole Kidman, which landed him a Golden Globe.
This was swiftly followed by Down with Love (with Renée Zellweger) and Tim Burton’s Big Fish, while sci-fi thriller The Island saw him play a clone with Scarlett Johansson.
He later starred in Trainspotting sequel T2 and won another Golden Globe for TV series Fargo.
Ewan, 50, split from wife Eve Mavrakis after meeting actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead on the set of Fargo. His most recent hit was last year’s Netflix series Halston.
Hayden Christensen
(Image: 20th Century Fox)
Like Ewan, Hayden was also berated for his acting when he joined the franchise in Attack of the Clones.
He sought out serious roles next to prove he had what it takes and played a paralysed man who is awake during heart surgery in Awake with Jessica Alba.
Next came Jumper, where co-star Rachel Bilson became his girlfriend during filming.
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A messy row with USA Network saw Hayden sue the channel saying they stole his idea and turned it into the TV show Royal Pains.
The 40-year-old is reprising his role as Vader in the new Disney+ show.
Samuel L. Jackson
Already an A-lister when he joined the prequels, Samuel played grim Jedi Master Mace Windu.
He went on to have a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill: Volume 2, went full-on blockbuster with Snakes on a Plane and was reunited with Tarantino for Django Unchained.
Now 73, he’s probably best known for playing Nick Fury in the Marvel film universe.
Liam Neeson
Liam went on to star in K-19: The Widowmaker, Gangs of New York with Leonardo DiCaprio and as a widower navigating single parenting in Love Actually.
But it was action flick Taken which cemented him most in current film fans’ minds with his turn as a retired CIA officer on the hunt for his kidnapped daughter.
His other films have included Clash of the Titans, The A-Team and The Grey, while he was Batman villain Ra’s al Ghul.
But the 69-year-old suffered tragedy when his wife Natasha Richardson died in a 2009 skiing accident.
Natalie Portman
(Image: BWP Media)
After playing a pregnant teen in Where The Heart Is, Natalie, 40, then enrolled at the prestigious Harvard University to study for a degree in psychology.
She played a stripper in Closer and shaved her hair off in V for Vendetta before she won an Oscar for playing a ballerina suffering hallucination in Black Swan.
She later moved into the Marvel world as scientist Jane Foster alongside Chris Hemsworth in the Thor flicks.
Jake Lloyd
(Image: Lucas Films)
After playing the young Anakin in Episode 1, Jake, now 33, retired from acting in 2001 blaming the criticism he got for the role.
Before landing the role, he payed Jimmy Sweet in US medical drama ER.
Diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, he was reported to police but not charged after assaulting his mum Lisa after an episode where he didn’t take his medication.
Christopher Lee
Perhaps now better known as Saruman in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit trilogies, Christopher also voiced the Jabberwock in Alice in Wonderland.
Prior to his acting career, Lee served in the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer.
He was honoured with the “Spirit of Hammer” award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards ceremony.
The former Hammer Horror star died in 2015 at 93.
Keira Knightly
(Image: Splash News)
She became a staple of period dramas and won an Oscar nomination for Pride and Prejudice as well as starring in the Pirates of the Caribbean films.
In 2013, Keira wed Klaxons musician James Righton and took time out to be a mum.
Now back in the day job, Keira, 36, will next appear in a drama about the Boston Strangler.
Ahmed Best
(Image: Lucas Films)
His hated character was ridiculed so badly the actor considered taking his own life.
Thankfully Ahmed, now 48, had a change of heart and ploughed his energy into writing and directing as well as reviving Jar Jar Binks for The Clone Wars cartoon series.
For emotional support you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
