Joel Edgerton appeared in the Star Wars prequel film Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones as Owen Lars. Edgerton says he credits this role with launching his career.
What did Joel Edgerton think of his role in Star Wars?
Speak with NME (above The Hollywood Reporter), Edgerton said he owes much of his career to George Lucas and the Star Wars series. The job, Edgerton said, allowed others in Hollywood to see him and get his foot in the door to other auditions.
“I owe so much to George in my career for giving me this job. It opened all the doors to Hollywood,” Edgerton said. “It allowed everyone in LA to kind of welcome me and be like, ‘Oh, he’s in Star Wars.’ ‘Let’s audition him for other things.'”
After playing Lars in the prequel, Edgerton returned decades later in the Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi. The actor wasn’t sure at first if he would return to the role. However, he saw an opportunity to dispel the narrative that Uncle Owen was a “grumpy” guy.
“I was a bit … not snobbish, but reluctant to say, ‘I’ve done this before,'” Edgerton said. “I used to joke that Uncle Owen is the most boring character in Star Wars history because he’s a moisture builder and can’t wield a lightsaber. I saw it as a way to come full circle.
“Everyone thinks Uncle Owen is a grumpy, argumentative, say no guy,” the actor continued. “I was like, ‘This is my chance to give it a little more context and maybe make people like it a little bit more.’ And I think we did that.
“The only caveat I had to them was, ‘I know what you’re going to do with the story and how it’s unfolding, and I’m not asking for more screen time, I just want to do something cool.’ Can I at least have a fight? Can I at least throw up my Hessian sleeves and get into a fight?'”
Owen Lars, commonly referred to as Uncle Owen, is Anakin Skywalker’s stepbrother. At the end of Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, he was hired by Obi-Wan Kenobi to take care of Luke Skywalker. He was originally played by Phil Brown in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.