Hello Magazine, April 99

Ewan McGregor readily admits that some of the characters he has played - in films like Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, and Velvet Goldmine - are "pretty out there". But the Scottish actor's next big role is even further out there - by at least several galaxies.
   Star Wars creator George Lucas has chosen Ewan to carry forward one of the greatest legends in screen history, casting him as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the eagerly awaited Star Wars prequels Episode I: The Phantom Menace and the as-yet-unnamed Episodes II and III. In so doing, he has given him the task of capturing something of the mythic magic that Sir Alec Guinness brought to the first Star Wars film (now re-designated Episode IV, Star Wars: A New Hope).
   "Stop! You're making me verrry nervous," says Ewan. "It's hard enough to walk into a film that is expected to live up to the glory of the previous Star Wars movies. I don't want to think about people comparing me to Alec Guinness, because he's one of the greats. I can only be me and hope that people appreciate my work."
   McGregor is not the type to allow himself to be carried away by Hollywood hype or to let it tame his adventurous spirit. Still only 28, he has established a public persona as something of a roguish figure who likes to party and cause a certain amount of mischief. His latest "Star Wars a bore" gaffe is typical - although what he actually said was: "After my initial excitement, the film making process turned out to be the epitome of tedium" - fair comment when you consider there are so many special effects to work around.
   He clearly enjoys the fact that he has established himself as a cutting-edge performer in challenging films, and is happy to lend his box-office clout to relatively minor roles in film she believes in - Brassed Off and Little Voice, for example. The pressures attached to a Hollywood blockbuster, by contrast, never seemed the sort of thing to appeal to him. However, in the case of Star Wars, it was destiny that led him to a galaxy far away.
   Uncle Denis has remained a hero and friend - he recently directed Ewan on the London stage in Little Malcolm And The Struggle Against The Eunuchs - so when the chance to play the greatest Jedi Knight of them all came up, how could Ewan refuse?
   Having joined Perth Repertory Theatre at 16 Ewan was accepted into London's prestigious Guildhall School of Music and Drama at 18 and soon established himself as a young prodigy, going straight in to Dennis Potter's TV series Lipstick On Your Collar, followed by the classic serial Scarlet And Black.
   He was also chosen to play the part of the devilish journalist in Shallow Grave, the Danny Boyle film that not only helped revive British cinema but gave McGregor the kind of sexy, subversive role that has served as his calling card ever since.
   Sitting with Ewan at his favourite London pub, it is easy to spot the brash side of the man. But underneath his penchant for making light of the world, he shows a single-minded pursuit of excellence and takes an all-or-nothing approach to his work. He has another film, Rogue Trader, in which he plays Nick Leeson, opening soon, and has been tipped to star in the title role of the remake of Alfie.
   Married for four years to French production designer Eve Mavrakis, Ewan is also a devoted father. Their three-year-old daughter Clara's close brush with death after a bout of meningitis in 1997, while Ewan was in L.A., taught him all he ever needs to know about how much his family means to him.

Ewan, did you worry that a role in a blockbuster like Star Wars would take you away from more cutting-edge film?
"I had to think about it. If I do a film, I have to accept it on my own terms, it has to feel right. I had to be sure that I was doing Star Wars because I believed in the myth that had grown around the original films.
Obviously something like this is going to change your life because of all the attention it's bound to attract, so I had to ask myself whether I could bring something to it and not contradict the other work I've been doing. I've done a lot of material that's been pretty 'out there', so I didn't think anyone could give such a superb performance and create such a great role, who am I to think I'm too big for Star Wars?"

Was there a lot of waiting around as the actors fitted in with the special effects?
"Oh, sure. But you have to accept that. It also takes a lot of discipline to be able to act with certain effects in mind that will only be added in later by computer. It's a completely different kind of filmmaking, which shows you what a genius George Lucas is. He has to be able to keep the overall picture in his head and intuitively kow how to strike the balance so that the characters aren't just cardboard figures. There is an incredible amount of art and talent that goes into creating this kind of fantasy world."

Did working on the epic your uncle appeared in fulfil a boyhood dream?
"There is something uncanny about it. I still remember how excited I was to see Uncle Denis come around the house in his big fur coat - I'm sure people are sick of hearing me tell the story, but it's such a rich memory for me. We all connect our dreams from childhood in some way. If I think about how I've managed to get myself to the point where we can work together and he can be proud of me, it's something very special."

Were you always a Star Wars fan?
"I was a big fan, so this is like stepping into a great big fantasy. I'll never forget waiting for my mother to pick me up from school and taking me to see the first movie. I was six years old and very proud that my Uncle Denis was in it. I still remember everything I was feeling that day, and I want to do the same for my daughter: I want to pick her up at school and give her the same experience I had."

Do you worry how your celebrity might affect you?
"It is something that bothers me, nags at me. I'm trying not to become too enamoured of my own good fortune. I love seeing myself up on screen and I find it almost hallucinatory to think about how easy things have been. I've always been optimistic about my work and I never doubted that I'd make it somehow or in some form, but this is beyond every rational expectation. I feel like I'm on this rollercoaster and want to scream, 'Don't stop the ride, don't stop the ride!"

You've worked a lot in the past two years. How hard has it been on you and your family?
"It's not healthy to be making so many films back-to-back. You begin to get sick of acting and that's the point where you should take time off. Last summer I tried to make thinks up to Eve and just spend a lot of quiet time with her, getting used to being a couple again. We needed to be together and just relax at home, take Clara to the park, things like that. A father has to be involved with his children or they grow up feeling unloved, and I never want Clara to feel that way. I think Eve knows how much I love her, but she needed me to be there and I began to hate myself for not living a more normal life."

Your daughter Clara fell very ill two years ago while you were filming an ER episode directed by Quentin Tarantino. How did you handle it?
"I was completely panicked. You think you're so cool and life is such a ball, then you have to take a plane home and go to hospital to see your daughter in intensive care with all these tubes running out of her. It reminded me that you have serious responsibilities as a father and husband. You can't keep spending month after month on some film set and pretend your life is running smoothly. Acting is an unreal life but very seductive. It plays games with your head."

You've stated that you've cut down on your drinking.
"I've cut way back on the vodka. I still like my beer, but I was working so much that I got completely out of the habit of getting plastered. (laughs) No, I just smartened up and realised I wasn't enjoying waking up feeling like someone had been hammering my skull all night."

Your outrageous performance as a rock star in Velvet Goldmine earned you great reviews. Did you ever entertain ambitions of being a rock star?
"It's a very self-indulgent lifestyle which would have suited me very well - all that partying and touring! But I know my own weaknesses. I would have been a classic burn-out - dead and buried from chronic consumption of unhealthy substances."

Did you always know you had a gift for performing?
"I was a good mimic. I would put on shows for the other kids or for my parents and go though comedy routines or imitate actors... Acting is second nature for me. It's the ultimate means of escaping your own miserable self and turning yourself into someone else. That's the big turn-on. I like exploring the possibilities of becoming someone else - though I kind of like being me once in a while."

The Boyle-Macdonald-Hodge team that made Shallow Grave, Trainspotting and A Life Less Ordinary are now filming The Beach with Leonardo di Caprio. How do you feel about that?
"Leonardo who? (Laughs) I had a lot of evil thoughts about that, but I've cooled down now. I thought I was going to do the film and was looking forward to it. I kind of felt betrayed. But I understood their problem. They wanted a bigger budget and the only way to get the studio to funnel more money was if they signed a star who was more bankable. I guess that's the way business is supposed to work, but when we were all just mates, it was never about the money but about making intelligent films. I think something has got lost in the process."

Have you ever felt as if you were losing yourself in the last few years?
"You do feel yourself slipping away at times. You keep reminding yourself that this is the life you've always wanted, and now you have it, why are you bitching about working so much? But I love acting. I love the movies and I've had a hard time saying no. I've had to learn to pace myself and not feel this manic hysteria to accept every good project that's offered. I'm in a very fortunate position and now I know I can do just two or three a year and still feel productive. I know that I need to spend more time with my family and my friends just to pull myself together again."

Do you have major worries about life?
"I have some small worries, things that nag me. I want to feel I'm doing interesting work, that I'm not becoming parasitic of my own image or just doing what's easy for me. I need to feel I'm doing something meaningful or I feel like sticking my head in a toilet and hiding from everyone. I can easily get frustrated and depressed if I start thinking I've made a mess of things. But I'm not one of those actors who's into his own suffering. That's complete bull. I want to do the right thing and make everyone happy."

Interview: Jan Janssen.