It’s safe to assume that everyone has tried that thing where you wave your hand in front of an automatic door and act like you used Jedi powers to open it. And no one should be embarrassed by it either – especially when Obi-Wan Kenobi himself does it.
As Ewan McGregor starts the press tour for his upcoming Disney+ series Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi, the actor is already giving fans perfect soundbites. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, McGregor freely admitted that he uses the Force hand motion when entering supermarkets.
“I do it with doors!” said the Star Wars actor. “I like to do that with automatic doors just for my own amusement. I always do a little Jedi move for the doors, and I have occasionally been caught doing it. You know, like at the supermarket or something when I’m wheeling my trolley out.”
“It’s just always for my own [amusement] because it makes me laugh, but occasionally I’ve been caught doing that, and that’s kind of embarrassing,” McGregor continued. “It’s difficult not to do it, isn’t it? It’s fun. If the timing is right, it feels very powerful.”
McGregor does add that he’s tried these tricks on his kids, but even the great Obi-Wan can’t impress his kids. “My kids are totally impervious to the whole Jedi mind trick. They don’t care. It doesn’t work on them,” jokes McGregor.
Ewan McGregor will return to Star Wars for the first time in 17 years with Obi-Wan Kenobi, a new series on Disney+ premiering this May. He’ll be joined by Hayden Christensen, who will star as Darth Vader. Now I’m curious if Christensen tries the Force trick himself…
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi begins ten years after the events of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, where Kenobi faced his greatest defeat, the downfall and corruption of his best friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker turned evil Sith Lord Darth Vader.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi is being directed by Deborah Chow (The Mandalorian), with McGregor joined in the cast by Hayden Christensen (Darth Vader), Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars) and Bonnie Piesse (Beru Lars), as well as Star Wars newcomers Moses Ingram, Kumail Nanjiani, Indira Varma, Rupert Friend, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Sung Kang, Simone Kessell, Maya Erskine, Benny Safdie and Grant Feely.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi will premiere on May 25th, the 45th anniversary of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.