While The original Star Wars may be one of George Lucas' highest-ranked movies, it wasn't a favorite of Sir Alec Guinness. Die-hard fans of the original trilogy are well aware that the man behind Obi-Wan (Ben) Kenobi was actually pretty hard on the movies. Of course, Alec came from another generation and another avenue of filmmaking than Star Wars. So there was a fair share of elitism at play. But Alec's reasoning for ultimately hating the movies is a lot more varied than just that.
When George Lucas approached Sir Alec Guinness to play Luke Skywalker's mentor he had already been in some of his most famous movies. This includes Doctor Zhivago, Lawrence of Arabia, To Paris With Love, and his masterpiece, The Bridge On The River Kwai. Getting him on board would be huge for George. And being in Star Wars ended up being huge for Alec... and that was part of the problem...
Why Sir Alec Guinness Really Disliked Star Wars And What Convinced Him To Make It
During an interview from 1977 on the Parkinson Talk show, the late Sir Alec Guinness explained how he was first asked to do Star Wars by George Lucas himself. The story reveals why he was at first dismissive of doing the film and also begins to explain why he grew so resentful of it in his later years.
"[Star Wars] arrived as a script, I was just finishing a picture in Hollywood, and a script arrived on my dressing table and I heard that it had been delivered by George Lucas. And I thought, 'Well, that's rather impressive because he's an up-and-coming and very respect-worthy young director'. And then when I owned it and found out it was science fiction I went, 'Oh, crumbs! This is not for me.'"
It seems as though a true disrespect for the science fiction genre is what first made Sir Alec Guinness dislike Star Wars. Of course, Alec did end up reading the script. While he absolutely loathed the dialogue in it, he admitted that he was stuck on it and kept turning the page. His initial interest in the script was sparked by a desire to learn what happened. And he knew he could persuade George to change some of the terrible dialogue. But no one can say that this was enough for the Academy Award-winning actor to take the part of the wise old Jedi knight.
Sir Alec Guinness also managed to get some money on the backend of his Star Wars agreement, making it a lot more desirable to the acclaimed actor. This meant that he took some of the enormous box office winnings when all was said and done. He was also being paid quite a bit more than his mostly unknown co-stars, including Harrison Ford. So, there's no doubt that it was money that truly convinced him to take part in the space opera.
Even though Alec later bashed the film, he actually had some kind things to say about it during his 1977 interview. Of course, he was promoting the film and therefore had a vested interest in getting people excited about it.
"There's a sort of wonderful freshness about it... like a wonderful fresh air. When I came out of the cinema... I thought, 'London's sort of gritty, and dirty and sort of rubbish, isn't it?' Because this had all been so invigorating."
Even though Alec didn't entirely understand why people loved the movie so much, he could see that it was resonating. Therefore, he decided to come back for Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. His role was a little more fleshed out and he was paid a lot more money. But with all the money came a lot of fame... and this is ultimately why he ended up hating Star Wars...
Sir Alec Guinness' Dislike Of Star Wars Grew Into Hate, Here's Why
While Alec has bashed Star Wars years after it was released, he has always prefaced his comments by claiming he was grateful for all the money he earned from doing it. But it's true that he hated it. Well, it's true that he hated what Star Wars did to his career. After all, Sir Alec Guinness was one of the most acclaimed and well-respected actors of his generation. Sure, Star Wars earned him another Oscar nomination, but it wasn't the work he was most proud of. Unfortunately, it did become the work he was best known for.
For a guy who had spent his life perfecting his craft and being part of some of the most acclaimed movies of all time, being only recognized for playing a small role in a science fiction movie with robots and terrible dialogue was a nightmare.
"Apart from the money, I regret having embarked on the film," he said during an interview with The Guardian.
In his autobiography, "A Positively Final Appearance", Alec explained just how much he grew to hate Star Wars.
"A refurbished Star Wars is on somewhere or everywhere," he wrote. "I have no intention of revisiting any galaxy. I shrivel inside each time it is mentioned. Twenty years ago, when the film was first shown, it had a freshness, also a sense of moral good and fun. Then I began to be uneasy at the influence it might be having."
He went on to say that he once told a young fan to never watch Star Wars again. He believed it was warping the minds of the young. Causing them to focus on the "childishly banal". Sure, he thought all science fiction was garbage. But perhaps he just wanted people to focus on his more acclaimed work instead?