Liam Neeson Explains Why He Returned as Qui-Gon Jinn for Obi-Wan Kenobi Series

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Image: Lucasfilm

Disney and Lucasfilm’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series managed to end on a pretty positive note despite all of the criticism levied at the show thanks to some welcome cameos in its final episode, with the chief one being Liam Neeson, who returned to play Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn, a beloved character that fans haven’t seen in live action since 1999’s Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Neeson has now revealed why he was open to returning after all these years in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, telling the publication that he simply didn’t want anyone else playing the character. The actor mentioned that he really enjoyed working with George Lucas and saw it as a way of giving respect to the director and the world that he created, echoing similar thoughts that he’s given over the years about how proud he is to have been part of The Phantom Menace. Neeson appears as the Force ghost of Qui-Gonn Jinn at the tail end of Obi-Wan Kenobi’s sixth and final episode, telling his ex-Padawan that he had always been around despite being out of sight.

“I certainly didn’t want anyone else playing Qui-Gon Jinn, and I wanted to show my respect for George [Lucas] and that mythical world that he created,” Neeson said. “Plus, Ewan [McGregor] is a pal, and I loved working with him during The Phantom Menace 25 years ago.”

Image: Lucasfilm

Neeson has noted in years past that he was always a fan of the film and tuned out the initial criticism, which has since subsided, with a generation of fans being quite fond of The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

As for Neeson’s return to the franchise, fans have been waiting with bated breath ever since Yoda (Frank Oz) told Obi-Wan in Revenge of the Sith that he would teach him how to connect with his late master’s Force ghost. On Wednesday, that planted seed finally bloomed.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

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Tsing Mui
News poster at The FPS Review.

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