OBI-WAN KENOBI Star Rupert Friend Breaks His Silence On Playing The Grand Inquisitor

Star Wars Rebels introduced us to The Grand Inquisitor, and his journey in the animated series proved to be a fascinating one. Ultimately, he died during a lightsaber duel with Kanan Jarrus after realising that his failure to destroy the Jedi would result in a fate worse than death at Darth Vader's hands. 

As it turns out, the Sith Lord found a way to trap The Grand Inquisitor's soul even after he died, using him as a pawn in his sinister plans for the Galaxy. That all happens years after the events of Obi-Wan Kenobi, of course, and this show's Grand Inquisitor will be played by Rupert Friend instead of Jason Isaacs (a decision that's disappointed many fans of the animated series).

Talking during an appearance on BBC's The One Show (via Digital Spy), Friend opened up on donning that imposing costume. "It was a sweaty, sweaty suit and I did sweat buckets inside the prosthetics which would pour across my face at the end of a day and make me look like a very, very miserable clown," the actor revealed. "But so worth it!"

"It's amazing," he said of joining the Star Wars franchise. "They have literally built a universe over the years and the incredible thing about is the relationship between the stories and the fans is completely interlaced – they are as connected with those stories as those of us who make it and you really feel like you're in dialogue as you do it... It's an amazing thing to be a part of."

It's going to be interesting to see what Friend brings to the table as The Grand Inquisitor, and as much as we'd have liked to see Isaacs reprise the role, this is still a stellar casting decision. 

We don't know how large a role this villain will actually have in Obi-Wan Kenobi as the focus is expected to be shifted to Moses Ingram's Reva. You can read more about those plans here.

Obi-Wan Kenobi premieres with its first two episodes on Disney+ on May 27.