Ewan McGregor, star of Netflix series Halston, swaps lightsabers and space for needles and New York

McGregor, as part of his preparation to portray Halston, learned to sew and had tea with Liza Minnelli, who was friends with the flamboyant fashion designer

The actor laments the backlash the series faced from some of Halston’s relatives, saying it’s a shame they have reacted this way and that it ‘makes me sad’

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Ewan McGregor in a scene from Halston, a Netflix series that follows the life of a fashion designer who revolutionised his industry with a minimalist approach that redefined American fashion starting in the 1960s. Photo: Netflix

Published: 8:45pm, 14 May 2021Updated: 8:45pm, 14 May 2021

Imagine, if you will, a galaxy far, far away where fashion designer Halston dresses Obi-Wan Kenobi in something fabulous from the swinging ’70s. Ewan McGregor can. Sort of.

McGregor is the sole person – on this planet, anyway – who might care, considering his dual roles as the Jedi master and the flamboyant designer. The latter is the subject of a new Netflix miniseries and the former is a Disney+ Star Wars instalment that has the Scottish actor on set in Los Angeles.

“It would be much more comfortable,” he said during a recent interview on Zoom. “It would all be in cashmere, you know, none of that heavy blanket material stuff.”

Halston drops on May 14, and has already generated some heat for McGregor and director Daniel Minahan, both among the series’ executive producers alongside Ryan Murphy.

Ewan McGregor in a scene from Halston. Photo: Netflix

On Monday Halston’s niece Lesley Frowick, supported by other relatives, bashed the series, Minahan’s passion project, as “frankly, garbage” and “inaccurate”, having seen nothing more than a trailer.