Liam Neeson Says He and Ewan McGregor Were Scolded on ‘Star Wars’ Set for Making Lightsaber Noises

“George [Lucas] said, ‘Let’s cut there. Boys, we can add that in later,’ ” Neeson recalled

Liam Neeson and Ewan McGregor were full into character on the set of 1999’s Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace.

In an interview with Conan O’Brien for the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast (recorded prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike), the 71-year-old actor recalled how he and McGregor, 52, “automatically” started making lightsaber noises the first time they pulled out their intergalactic weapons for a scene on set.

“George [Lucas] said, ‘Uh, let’s cut there. Boys, we can add that in later,’ ” Neeson joked.

Of his and McGregor’s responses, the actor recalled, ” ‘Yeah, of course. We knew that,’ ” before miming holstering a lightsaber.

“That’s hilarious. I wish they had left that in — wouldn’t that be so great?” said O’Brien, 60, miming the lightsaber noises and combat gestures himself. “You two just spitting at each other. That would be so, so funny-looking.”

Neeson played Qui-Gon Jinn, the mentor of McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, in The Phantom Menace, and later made cameo voice appearances as the character in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019).

Qui-Gon died at the end of The Phantom Menace in a duel with Sith apprentice Darth Maul (Ray Park). Before dying, Qui-Gon made Obi-Wan promise he would take on Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd as a child and, later, Hayden Christensen as an adult) as a Jedi apprentice.
In an interview with Collider published in January 2021, Neeson appeared surprised to be told fans of the film franchise still clamored to see him return as his popular Jedi character.

“I’ll be honest with you, I haven’t heard that at all,” the actor said of whether he’s aware fans want him to return to the beloved role.

When asked if he would ever consider a miniseries for the character, Neeson said, “Sure, I’d like to, but I’m wondering if Star Wars starting to fade away from the cinema landscape, do you think?”
After hearing of McGregor’s then-upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series on Disney+, he added, “Oh, so they are sort of spinoffs are they?” before smiling and adding, “I’d be up for that! Yeah.”