Star Warsspeeder chase scenes can be nauseating (and that’s even before the fans have time to complain about it). At least, that’s how things turned out for Obi-Wan Kenobi actor Ewan McGregor during one memorable sequence on the set ofAttack of the Clones.
Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Cloneswas a massive hit among audiences when it premiered in 2002. However, this is in pretty striking contrast to what critics and angry people ultimately decided about its quality. But despite many insisting thatAttack of the Clonesis simply a bad movie, it’s not difficult to see why so many others look at it with wistful nostalgia and, in some cases, even favorably with fresh eyes. The film remains endlessly quotable and meme-able to this day, and certain scenes still impress. But one scene wasn’t quite as fun to film as it was to watch.
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In a 2002 interview withStar Wars Insider Magazine, McGregor revealed some of the hardships he went through during the creation of the, at that point, upcoming film. The speeder chase on Coruscant remains memorable, but it impacted him at the time for a different reason. “There’s a speeder chase sequence at the beginning, which I’m really looking forward to seeing,” McGregor teased. “But to do it, we were on a speeder that was rocking about, and it actually made you feel sick after a while. It was like going on a fairground ride over and over again, where you’re not allowed to go have a hot dog — you’ve just got to keep doing it. The actual chase sequence will be something to behold, but it was just a sick-making experience!”
It’s fascinating to read these words from over 20 years ago, long beforeStar Warshad become a family affair for McGregor. But it’s also interesting to think about how differently the scene might have been filmed today, likely using the room-filling monitor setup of the Volume rather than the blue screen method more widely used at the time. However, the blue screens did make for a rather exciting reveal when McGregor saw the finished product. “When you see the finished film, it’s quite awesome,” he continued. “It’s strange — it’s like watching somebody else, because the bit you did was surrounded by blue, and then you see this whole thing around you. It’s bizarre.”
Most would not have likely predicted that McGregor would still be playing Obi-Wan decades later, much less having tocall out racist attacks against hisObi-Wan Kenobicostar. But apparently, the barfy experience on theAttack of the Clonesset didn’t deter him. His comments about the speeder sequence feeling like “a fairground ride” almost seem prophetic, given the saturation ofStar Warsattractions in many Disney parks nowadays. That’s not to mention the previously poor reception of Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker in that same movie, which ultimately gave way to genuine adoration and appreciation from legions of fans every time he appeared in recent years, a change for the better for audiences.
Along with living on through the functionallyeternal partnership between LEGO andStar Wars,Attack of the Clonesremains a memorable instance in the franchise all these years later. McGregor’s words about his experiences are also timeless, given how specific filming techniques like the hydraulic rig used for the speeder remain in vogue (blue screen notwithstanding). Even so, this little time capsule into a now iconic moment is fascinating.
Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clonesis available to stream on Disney Plus.
