Ewan McGregor Reveals It’s a ‘Massive Relief’ to Speak About ‘Star Wars’ Role After Years of Secrecy

May the ratings be with you! Ewan McGregor confirmed that he’ll be returning to the small screen to play Jedi Knight, Obi-Wan Kenobi, in an upcoming television series, after taking a 15-year hiatus from the Star Wars franchise. The actor expressed how incredibly excited he was to finally share the news about his venture during a recent interview.

“It’s a f–king massive relief,” Ewan, 48, shared in the November issue of Men’s Journal, addressing how much of a struggle it’s been to keep under wraps. “Because for four years, I’ve been having to lie to people about it.” As enthusiasts may recall, the award-winning star was first cast as Anakin Skywalker’s mentor back in 1997.

While sharing the latest details about his life, Ewan also discussed his past struggles with sobriety, which he was able to utilize when portraying an alcoholic who wants to get clean in his recent film, Doctor Sleep.

“I’ve been sober for years,” he explained. “This was the first time I got to explore that in my work. What intrigued me was the fact that when we meet [Danny Torrance], he’s like a rock-bottom alcoholic, and then finds recovery.”

As far as what inspired him to make a change, Ewan said that he finally reached a point where he knew it was time. “The rock bottom’s neither here nor there, really. It also wasn’t as hectic as some other people’s. But it’s not a competition,” he said.

“I was just not able to manage all the different strands of my life — my professional life, my family life, and my drinking life,” the actor continued. “So something had to go. But it was fun to go back and play some real f–ked-up drunk scenes. It was quite funny. But it was all still frighteningly alive in me, you know, even after 20 years.”

Looking ahead, Ewan won’t start filming for the Star Wars series until next summer. So, what can fans look forward to? “The storyline sits between Episode III and Episode IV,” he shared.

On top of that, he’ll be paying homage to another actor who previously played the same role. “I want to get closer and closer to how Obi-Wan felt while Alec Guinness was playing him,” he said. “I feel like I’m grayer and nearer him in age, so it’ll be easier to do that.”