Kumail Nanjiani Is 'Overwhelmed' after His Character's Debut on Star Wars Show Obi-Wan Kenobi
The Marvel superhero plays Haja, a con-man who runs into Obi-Wan and suddenly gets stuck in "the bigger conflicts at play".
Kumail Nanjiani, the first Pakistani actor to enter the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has stepped into another universe and it's none other than Star Wars! His character on the show just made his debut and it has got the Marvel superhero in his feels.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi aired its first two episodes on Disney+ on May 27 and Nanjiani was as excited to see himself on the show as his fans were. The actor reminisced about his childhood and realized how far he has come.
"I am so overwhelmed right now. My cousin had a better collection of action figures when we were kids. I was so jealous. I think I finally pulled ahead," he wrote in a tweet.
The series follows Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) on an adventure set between the prequel and original trilogies of films, and the show has factored in some freshness into the mix which includes Nanjiani's character. He plays a con-man named Haja who makes his debut in the second episode of the series.
Episode two follows Obi-Wan on his search for a young Princess Leia (Vivien Lyra Blair) who has been kidnapped. He is led to Haja, who is pretending to be a Jedi to help a mother and son escape off-planet, and sees right through the act, noting the magnets and tricks. Despite the con, Obi-Wan finds Haja resourceful and seeks his help in finding Leia. Later in the episode, he helps Obi-Wan and Leia escape the planet on a cargo ship.
"His name is Haja," Nanjiani shared in an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly. "And he's this guy who works on the streets of Daiyu, which is this new Star Wars location that we haven't seen before that's absolutely gorgeous. And he's the guy who's worked really hard to stay out of the bigger conflicts at play. He just kind of wants to be his own guy. Survival for him is all that matters.
"He's this sort of con-man guy who cons people for money," the actor detailed. "That's what's important to him. And then he has a run-in with Obi-Wan and suddenly he sort of gets stuck in the bigger conflicts at play, which is the thing that he really tries to avoid. So, he is this street-level con-man guy who then gets embroiled in stuff that's way too big for him. And he has to make a choice."
Have you seen Haja in his element yet? - Images
