The actor who will voice Luke Skywalker in the Welsh-language dub of Star Wars says he is "very excited" for its Christmas Day release. Osian Morgan said he hopes the release will "inspire the next generation" of Star Wars fans.
It was announced earlier this year that a Welsh-language adaptation of the iconic 1977 sci-fi classic Star Wars: A New Hope has been created by Lucasfilm and Disney in partnership with S4C and the Welsh Government through Creative Wales.
Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd on S4C
Star Wars: Gobaith Newydd, will broadcast on S4C and its platforms from Christmas Day, and rising talent Osian will be voicing Luke Skywalker. Osian is best known for taking on the challenging role of Ryan in Channel 5's drama, Power: The Downfall of Huw Edwards.
Speaking to Wales Online at BAFTA Cymru, Osian said: "Star Wars is coming to Wales. I'll be voicing Luke Skywalker alongside Matthew Rhys, Rhys Ifans, Amy Ffion Edwards, Mark Lewis Jones, and many more Welsh talents. So, it's very exciting."
"That'll be coming out on Christmas Day, so keep your eyes peeled. The beauty of it is that we get to inspire the new generation to get involved and welcome to Star Wars. So, very excited."
An honour to step into Mark Hamill's shoes
The actor said it was an honour to take on the role as a big fan of the franchise. He said: "I'm a Star Wars nerd, and I'm proud to say that. So I'm waving that flag loud and proud. I'm a Star Wars nerd."
"I remember one of the first presents I ever got was a box set of the original six. So, I'm very excited, and to play Luke is a privilege. To step into Mark Hamill's shoes is a real honour."
When asked if he had spoken to Mark Hamill about the role, he said: "No, I haven't. Can you imagine if I had? That would be fantastic. No, I haven't, but who knows? One day maybe I'll unite with Mark, that'd be fantastic."
Inspiring a new generation of Welsh-speaking fans
The actor also emphasised the importance of seeing franchises like Star Wars in the Welsh language, and that it will be his younger brother's first introduction to the movie. Osian said: "It's absolutely crucial. I have a 10-year-old brother, and 10-year-olds now, they struggle to watch films. So this is his first entrance to Star Wars, such an amazing phenomenon all across the world, and it will be in the Welsh language. How special is that?"
"So it's truly amazing. We're really excited about it. I've seen snippets of it. It's absolutely fantastic. It's really natural, it rolls off the tongue. You wouldn't even imagine it was dubbed. It's fantastic, we're really excited."
The actor said that both his family and friends are thrilled for him and they will all be sat watching on S4C on Christmas Day. Osian continued: "We'll be in our matching PJs, we'll be having a whale of a time! So yeah, absolutely, the whole family will be watching Star Wars, that's for sure. They're very excited."
"I think my mates are even more excited. We're a bunch of nerds, so we absolutely love that stuff. It could be Pirates of the Caribbean, could be Lord of the Rings, could be Star Wars, whatever it is. It's all really exciting."
The actor also teased what else he had on the horizon, saying: "There's a few coming out next year that I can't talk about. I've got two movies coming out next year, so fingers crossed that they get a good reception."
