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Deborah Chow Discusses The Collaboration She Had With Ewan McGregor And Hayden Christensen On Obi-Wan Kenobi - Exclusive

Fans were delighted to see Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen reprise their "Star Wars" mantles in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." It's been nearly 20 years since Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker duked it out on Mustafar in "Revenge of the Sith." While fans got an extra dose of everyone's favorite Jedi duo in "The Clone Wars," many have been waiting for Christensen and McGregor to fill in the blanks between "Revenge of the Sith" and "New Hope."

However, the new series director and executive producer Deborah Chow had her work cut out for her after the harsh feedback some fans hurled toward the prequels in the years prior. However, it seems enough time has passed that fans couldn't wait to head back to the sands of Tatooine and catch up with the once-brothers turned sworn enemies.

Chow spoke to Looper during an exclusive interview where she discussed what it was like working with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" — and the collaboration that followed. She also chronicled the aspects of the original two trilogies that she wanted to include in the series. Additionally, Chow even revealed whether or not George Lucas was involved in the making of "Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen are collab kings

On what it was like working with Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen to reprise their beloved roles, Chow told Looper, "It was pretty incredible, and honestly, I don't know how many directors get to actually say, 'I directed Darth Vader,' you know what I mean?" Anyone who grew up wielding a lightsaber and arguing with their friends about who has the higher ground can certainly relate.

"It's a pretty special thing to get to work with these legacy characters. One thing I was very grateful for — with both Ewan and Hayden — it's obvious they know these rules so incredibly well, but they were so open and so collaborative [in] working with me," Chow added. "For all of us, one of the most interesting things is that we were doing the characters, but we were doing the characters at a different point in their lives."

The Skywalker saga isn't over yet

Just when we thought we'd seen the end of the Skywalker story after "The Rise of Skywalker," the galaxy's most notorious family has risen again. "Obi-Wan Kenobi" is the first project since the sequels that dives into the Skywalker story. Chow had some thoughts on the elements, characterizations, and looks of the original films and prequels that she wanted to shine through in "Obi-Wan Kenobi" and exactly how she tried to set it apart.

"Our connective tissue is very strongly to the prequels, and particularly coming out of 'Revenge of the Sith.' So much of our story, what happened at the end of 'Revenge of the Sith,' is propelling us into this story. That was the biggest touchstone throughout making it," Chow said. "The difference for me in making this one is that, especially in a limited series format where you have the time, but it's still one story, is that I was really excited about the opportunity to tell a character-driven story and to really have more time and have the depths to really get into Obi-Wan."

For fans hoping George Lucas lent a helping hand in the production of "Obi-Wan Kenobi," Chow was quick to dismiss that notion. "I did meet with George, but George wasn't involved in the series at all."

New episodes of "Obi-Wan Kenobi" stream Wednesdays on Disney+.