Zach Braff Didn't Care What Role He Had In Obi-Wan Kenobi, Was Just Thrilled To Be In Star Wars [Exclusive]
This article contains spoilers for "Obi-Wan Kenobi."
In addition to the film series that started in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has given us several TV series like "Obi-Wan Kenobi" on Disney+, a series we called "an unnecessary prequel story" that "manages to feel incredibly vital and thrilling" in our review. The shows expand on time periods we missed as each film trilogy jumped backward and forward. Star Wars is still one of the most popular things out there, and generations of fans would do just about anything to be involved in some way. That passion extends to a lot of celebrities too, including Zach Braff ("Scrubs," "Garden State").
Braff recently wrote and directed "A Good Person" starring Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman, the story of a young woman (Pugh) involved in a fatal car accident who forms a friendship with the man who would have been her father-in-law (Freeman). /Film's own Ethan Anderton recently spoke to Braff about the film and took the opportunity to ask him about his role in "Obi-Wan Kenobi." As it turns out, Braff has a connection with series director Deborah Chow and was willing to play anything to be in the franchise ... and we mean anything.
'... would you ever do a creature?'
Anderton asked Braff how it all came about and the director revealed his connection to Chow. He said they met when Chow directed him in her first independent movie "The High Cost of Living." According to Braff, "We made it for a million bucks in Montreal, and it was a really good movie. Very, very heavy subject matter. But she made a really powerful film. I could tell right away that she was going to be a success. And we've stayed in touch. I've watched her as she was ascending in her TV career."
Braff said that when Chow got the directing job on "Obi-Wan," he congratulated her and told her how proud he was. Then she brought up the possibility of a part in the series. Braff explained:
" ... she said, 'There's not really a character for you in the series, but would you ever do a creature? There's something cool about the Star Wars canon, if you're a creature and you're just a voice, you're not prevented from being other real human characters.'"
That seems like it would be so much more fun than just playing a person, but apparently, some actors have issues with it. When Braff told her he didn't care, she said a lot of people do because they want to be seen in the show.
Getting to act with Ewan McGregor
Braff played Freck, a Condluran transport driver on Mapuzo who works for the Empire. While Obi-Wan (Ewan McGregor) and Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) are heading to the spaceport, Leia flags down a truck Freck's truck. Freck seems friendly enough, but he turns them over to some Stormtroopers who use a droid to ID Kenobi. Freck is knocked out by Kenobi in the end.
Braff said that he was doing the voice originally as another actor was wearing the character rig. Then he would put on headgear that four puppeteers remotely controlled for the close-up shots. He called the experience "so trippy and cool." His favorite part happened because Blair was having a bit of trouble with the eye line for the character, though. He said:
"Deborah goes, 'Zach, would you mind just taking the gear off your head? Would you mind just climbing up into that Freck vehicle and getting close to the camera and being her eye line as Freck for her and Ewan?' And that was really cool because I love Ewan so much. I got to be not just a mysterious voice on set, but climb up and act with Ewan, which was cool."
Not only is that cool for Braff (and for his fans), but someday the actress who played young Leia is going to watch "Scrubs" and realize how cool it was for her!
"Obi-Wan Kenobi" is streaming on Disney+. "A Good Person" hits theaters on March 24, 2023.