When discussing the Star Wars prequels, many fans will jump at the chance to discuss Anakin’s storyline, the Galatic Republic, or the much-hated Jar Jar Binks, which is fair. But one topic that is never discussed enough is the Padawan hair.
Sure, Leia and Padme get a lot of attention for their flashy styles, but what about the iconic braids and tiny ponytails that were worn by Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen? They never get the attention they deserve, and the actors know it!
While discussing the new Obi-Wan series with LADBible, the two actors were asked about Obi-Wan’s mullet, which sparked a discussion about the hair in the Star Wars universe. Christensen excitedly defended McGregor’s mullet from the previous films, saying, “You rocked that mullet very well. It’s quite iconic.” McGregor then rightfully compared it to The Bee Gees.
The duo then reminisced about the Padawan hairstyle, which consisted of a small braid and even a smaller ponytail, which was quite A Look at the time. Christensen then said that he kept a couple of hair extensions after filming.
CHRISTENSEN: I did like the braid, mainly because [McGregor] made it look so cool in episode one. I’ve also met people with their own Padawan braid.
MCGREGOR: You also had the [hair] on the back as well.
CHRISTENSEN: You had to grow your hair so they could attach, and the rest was very short. So if you weren’t filming, your hair looked very odd.
MCGREGOR: I remember that! First thing in the morning, having it glued in.
CHRISTENSEN: I kept a couple of them.
MCGREGOR: You see them up for auction every once in a while. Somebody sells them like it was the only one. We had a new one every day. People were saying it was the Jedi braid. Like, no.
The first two episodes of Obi-Wan Kenobi debuted today on Disney+. The series reunites Christensen and McGregor nearly two decades after the two worked together on the prequels. McGregor also mentioned how scary it was to see Vader for the first time while filming.
“I didn’t work with Vader in episodes 1-3. Then in this series to see you coming at me with that….made me feel like I was 7 years old again,” McGregor explained. “The fear in me was genuine. I’ve never had that while acting before, an actual fear moment. But I felt that when I turned around and there you were, 7 feet tall with the helmet.” It would have been taller if he kept the Padawan pony, but alas.
Check out the interview above.