Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor Thought 'Star Wars' Was 'Fairy-Tale Rubbish'

A lot of people are excited for Disney's new take on "Star Wars" come 2015. Since the news of The Walt Disney Company's $4 billion acquisition of Lucasfilm, Samuel L. Jackson, Mark Hamill, and J.J. Abrams have all expressed interest in seeing where the franchise will go.
If Alec Guinness, the actor who played Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi, were alive today, he most likely wouldn't share the same sentiments. After all, he wasn't even excited about the original series.

Going through actor Guiness' biography – the book isn't anything new, it's from 2003 – he laid out the details of George Lucas offering him the now-iconic role of Kenobi and his feelings on the part. He didn't seem too taken with the sci-fi flick. A few days after he was offered the role of Ben Kenobi in 1975, he wrote to long-time friend Anne Kaufman, referring to it as "fairy-tale rubbish" and to George Lucas by the wrong first name.

"I have been offered a movie (20th Cent. Fox) which I may accept, if they come up with proper money. London and N. Africa, starting in mid-March. Science fiction – which gives me pause – but is to be directed by Paul [sic] Lucas who did "American Graffiti, which makes me feel I should. Big part. Fairy-tale rubbish but could be interesting perhaps."

Guinness goes on to recall Twentieth Century Fox offered him $150,000 plus two percent of the producer's profit in January 1976 for the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi – double what they offered him the week before. After he began filming in March of '76, he wrote to Kaufman again to share he wasn't "enjoying the film."

" ... new rubbish dialogue reaches me every other day on wadges of pink paper – and none of it makes my character clear or even bearable. I just think, thankfully, of the lovely bread, which will help me keep going until next April ... I must off to studio and work with a dwarf (very sweet – and he has to wash in a bidet) and your fellow countrymen Mark Hamill and Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison (? – No!) – well, a rangy, languid young man who is probably intelligent and amusing. But Oh, God, God, they make me feel ninety – and treat me as if I was 106. – Oh, Harrison Ford – ever heard of him?"

Source.

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Leave a Comment

filmfreakfranco 9th-Jan-2013 05:40 pm (UTC)

abbie 9th-Jan-2013 05:40 pm (UTC)

I thought this was common knowledge. He had no appreciation for the series and wasn't quiet about it

adigallia 9th-Jan-2013 05:48 pm (UTC)

Yeah, this is ancient news.

steph313 9th-Jan-2013 06:08 pm (UTC)

I came in to say the same thing. This is no secret.

sadisticsidhe 9th-Jan-2013 06:22 pm (UTC)

It is. He had a distaste for the fans too.

minderbinder 9th-Jan-2013 05:40 pm (UTC)

"Obi-Wan Kenobi Actor"

Well damn. I mean people know who Alec Guinness is, use his name in the title. (And I know it's the article title and not you, OP)

Edited at 2013-01-09 05:41 pm (UTC)

onyxobsidian 9th-Jan-2013 05:42 pm (UTC)

I've never heard the name Alec Guinness and I'm willing to bet a majority of people who read gossip news haven't either.

abbie 9th-Jan-2013 05:45 pm (UTC)

Er I doubt that. He's a pretty big name and well regarded actor.

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minderbinder 9th-Jan-2013 05:45 pm (UTC)

Eh, maybe it's my affinity for old movies, but he was a very famous actor. Obvs, Obi-Wan is his most famous role, but he was already established Hollywood royalty by the time he accepted that part (which is part of the reason he scoffed at it).

buncha_cruncha 9th-Jan-2013 05:49 pm (UTC)

If that's true, I find it sad, frankly. He's very well-regarded, was very talented, and was very well-established in his time.

thelovehater 9th-Jan-2013 06:14 pm (UTC)

I agree.

victory_goddess 9th-Jan-2013 05:41 pm (UTC)

While I don't disagree with this, god he was bitter over these movies.

onyxobsidian 9th-Jan-2013 05:41 pm (UTC)

2015? Really? And we know nothing about the films whatsoever?

minderbinder 9th-Jan-2013 05:43 pm (UTC)

They're still trying to get a director. We already know J.J. Abrams and Del Toro turned the studio down after one phone call. Lol.

cluelessraf 9th-Jan-2013 05:46 pm (UTC)

Smart of them tbh. Disney just wants everything rushed so they can make money off it... hope it backfires on their asses.

_dennis_csi_ 9th-Jan-2013 05:45 pm (UTC)

nope. there is lots of director rumours but everyone is backing off so far

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boweeko 9th-Jan-2013 05:49 pm (UTC)

Will likely be pushed back. I don't think we are going to see this movie for like another 8-10 years.

fabouluz 9th-Jan-2013 05:42 pm (UTC)

We knew this thooooo

sekhmet2 9th-Jan-2013 05:42 pm (UTC)

I'd heard that about him many times before; he always came off as such a snob about it all.

imnotasquirrel 9th-Jan-2013 05:49 pm (UTC)

i am laughing at his shade re: lucas' dialogue tho. the man writes some horrible dialogue, lbr.

i think i feel more charitable about this since it seems like he was just venting privately to a friend. unless he was also a douche in public about the series, which is possible, idk.

sekhmet2 9th-Jan-2013 06:01 pm (UTC)

That's true; after I reread it and realised that this was taken from a correspondence to a friend, I was all "okay, Sir Alec, you're definitely entitled to vent to a friend". I do remember him being very aloof and somewhat condescending toward the films in interviews, which I always found a bit off-putting at the time, but then again....I also see his point in that he was disappointed at being most popularly remembered for this role when he'd had so many far more noteworthy ones during his long career.

And lol, you speak the truth about Lucas' dialogue writing skills, or lack thereof!

davejohn 9th-Jan-2013 05:43 pm (UTC)

Well, that he didn't like Star Wars so much was common knowledge (for SW fans), but this gives it a nice human touch...

sandvich 9th-Jan-2013 05:43 pm (UTC)

This is old news, but I'm cackling at Tennyson Ford.

unique_lilpixie 9th-Jan-2013 05:44 pm (UTC)

Tennyson (that can't be right) Ford. Ellison (? – No!) – well, a rangy, languid young man who is probably intelligent and amusing. But Oh, God, God, they make me feel ninety – and treat me as if I was 106. – Oh, Harrison Ford – ever heard of him?

Adorable.

winegums 9th-Jan-2013 06:26 pm (UTC)

ikr?

tigermilk 9th-Jan-2013 06:36 pm (UTC)

This part was so cute.

onyxobsidian 9th-Jan-2013 05:44 pm (UTC)

Why is this even an article right now? It's citing and explaining a bio that came out in 2003, and even the article itself says this information isn't new. So why does it exist? I don't get it.