6 ‘Star Wars’ stars who could compete at this year’s Emmys: Ewan McGregor, Diego Luna, Fiona Shaw …

“Star Wars” is finally getting some recognition for its acting talents. A galaxy far, far away has always been appreciated for its below-the-line work but among the cast only Alec Guinness earned an Oscar nomination across the 11 live-action movies (Best Supporting Actor for “A New Hope” in 1978). One of the small screen expansions of the franchise, “The Mandalorian,” has reaped four Emmy bids for its cast: in 2020, Giancarlo Esposito contended for his guest role while Taika Waititi was up for voicing IG-11;  in 2021, Esposito was promoted to series regular and reaped a supporting bid while Timothy Olyphant and Carl Weathers vied against each other for their guest turns.

That trend looks to continue this year thanks to the influx of “Star Wars” shows gracing our screens on Disney+. Here are six actors who could earn Emmy bids for “Star Wars” shows.

Ewan McGregor — “Obi-Wan Kenobi”
McGregor has won one of his four Emmy bids: Best Movie/Limited Series Actor for “Halston” in 2021. He will be looking to return to that category this year for the miniseries “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Returning to our screens as the titular Jedi, McGregor turned in a layered, somber performance as an aging Obi-Wan in hiding who is suddenly thrust back into the world of Jedi action when he’s tasked with rescuing a young Princess Leia. However, he’s currently in the second tier below our predicted six nominees of Evan Peters (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”), Taron Egerton (“Blackbird”), Daniel Radcliffe (“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”), Woody Harrelson (“White House Plumbers”), Michael Shannon (“George and Tammt”), and Jesse Eisenberg (“Fleishman Is in Trouble”). In fact, McGregor is ninth in our odds chart with 42/1 odds with Steve Carell (“The Patient”) and Jesse Plemons (“Love and Death”) also ranking above him.

Hayden Christensen — “Obi-Wan Kenobi”
McGregor’s movie co-star also returned for the same show, reprising his role as Anakin Skywalker AKA Darth Vader. His role occupied far less screen time but had no less impact, meaning Christensen is in the conversation for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor. Like McGregor, though, he’s got a hill to climb. He ranks 10th in our odds charts. Our predicted six nominees are Dennis Quaid and Jharrel Jerome (both “Full Circle”), Ray Liotta (“Blackbird”), Domhnall Gleeson (“The Patient”), Paul Walter Hauser (“Blackbird”), and, in top spot, Richard Jenkins (“Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story”). Ciarán Hinds (“The English”), Murray Bartlett (“Welcome to Chippendales”), and Greg Kinnear (“Blackbird” are all also ranked above Christensen. It’s a tough ask but if he manages it, it’d be his first-ever Emmy nomination.

Diego Luna — “Andor”
This one looks like an easier nomination, but still not a sure thing. Luna plays Cassian Andor in this spin-off show of a spin-off movie (“Rogue One) and his character is the core of this tense, darker corner of “Star Wars.” He sits just outside our predicted six nominees in seventh place with 33/1 odds. Ahead of him are Brian Cox (“Succession”), Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”), Jeremy Strong (“Succession”), Pedro Pascal (“The Last of Us”), Jeff Bridges (“The Old Man”), and Paddy Considine (“House of the Dragon”). This would be Luna’s first Emmy bid if he can sneak in.

Pedro Pascal — “The Mandalorian”
Competing in the same category is Pascal, who sits way outside of those predicted six nominees. However, he is one of those six nominees — we expect him to pick up a bid for “The Last of Us,” so that makes up for missing out for “The Mandalorian.” Again, this would be Pascal’s first Emmy nomination.

Fiona Shaw — “Andor”
Shaw turned in a terrific performance as Cassian Andor’s adoptive mother and deserves to have the spotlight shone on her. She just reaped a BAFTA bid, which could boost her standing in this race. Our predicted eight nominees are Jennifer Coolidge (“The White Lotus”), Sarah Snook (“Succession”), Rhea Seehorn (“Better Call Saul”), Elizabeth Debicki (“The Crown”), Aubrey Plaza (“The White Lotus”), Christina Ricci (“Yellowjackets”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), and J. Smith-Cameron (“Succession”). This would be her fourth Emmy nomination after prior bids for “Fleabag” and “Killing Eve.”

Stellan Skarsgård — “Andor”
Skarsgård is one of the cooler parts of this show as Rebel Alliance leader Luthen Rael. He leaves quite the impression in his supporting performance and has one of the show’s best monologues. As such, he’s right on the precipice of making our eight predicted nominees, which are currently made up of Matthew Macfadyen and Kieran Culkin (“Succession”), F. Murray Abraham (“The White Lotus”), Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”), Matt Smith (“House of the Dragon”), John Lithgow (“The Old Man”), Jonathan Pryce (“The Crown”), and Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”). His only Emmy nomination to date came in 2019 for his supporting turn in the limited series “Chernobyl.”

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