- Star Wars made a lasting impression on Ewan and his brother as children. "The boys just loved it, " recalled his mother, Carol. "They both had light sabers and used them a lot at home."
- To be cast as the part of Mark Renton, Ewan had to agree to shave his head and lose twenty-eight pounds.
- Ewan is a longtime fan of the TV show "ER" and was thrilled when he learned that ER's team of writers and producers had decided to craft an episode around him.
- Ewan was allowed to pick out the style of his own light saber handle for himself in the new upcoming prequel.
-Ewan is a huge Oasis fan. When Oasis appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' Ewan spent an evening in their dressing room back stage. A pure fan, he didn't pretend to be one of the gang. He modestly insisted that he hung out with the group during the taping, but "only in a starstruck way."
- Ewan loved Oasis's album 'Be Here Now' and happily passed out copies to friends and colleagues - including people on the set of 'The Phantom Menace'.
- Ewan considers himself first and foremost an actor. Referring to him as a movie star would preobably cause him to turn red - if not from embarrassement, then from irritation. He has no respect for the sort of calculation Hollywood mandates in "choosing the next project" or "knowing the right people."
- Ewan refuses the fuss of a chauffeur and has no interest in dragging a movie star's entourage aroung with him. His mum handles the job of personal manager.
Ewan Gordon McGregor was born on March 31, 1971 and brought up in the
"haggis and heather" town of Crieff, Scotland. He became interested
in acting from from his uncle, Denis Lawson, a comic actor who starred
in Scottish movies (Local Hero), West End musicals
(Mr. Cinders), and all three Star Wars flicks. "He
had long hair, beads and a furry waistcoat. I aspired to be as
different as he seemed to me," says Ewan of his uncle.
When he was sixteen, Ewan left Crieff and Morrison Academy, where his
father James is a Career Advisor and P.E. teacher, to gain
worldly experience with the Perth Repertory Theatre. His
parents agreed to let him leave school and pursue an acting
career, rather than be unhappy. Ewan studied drama for a year
at Kirkcaldly in Fife, then enrolled at London's Guildhall School
of Music and Drama for a three-year course. Right before graduating,
he snagged the role of Private Mick Hopper in Dennis Potter's 1993
six-part Channel 4 (UK) series Lipstick on Your Collar and left
to pursue his acting career.
Next came the one-line role of Alvarez in Bill Forsyth's
Being Human, the Robin Williams bomb. But he got to
travel to Morocco to film one line, so why not? He followed this up
by hopping over to France to play the lead role of Julien Sorel in
Ben Bolt's major three-part BBC adaptation of Stendah's Scarlet and
Black. Not bad!
Then came his breakthrough role as Alex Law in the
awesome Shallow Grave, directed by Danny Boyle, written by
John Hodge and produced by Andrew MacDonald. With that came other
films like Blue Juice and the role that made the most buzz for
Ewan - Trainspotting. Another film by the Shallow Grave
trio. Ewan starred as Mark Renton: heroin addict, hero, anti-hero. The
film made waves for its brilliance, refreshingly bold images and for
being sick, wacky, fabulously funny, visually arresting and completely
innovative. Ewan was the center of the film and showed the world his
talent. The attention from this film allowed Ewan to move on to other
films, adding plenty of roles to his resume, including the coveted
role of the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three up-coming Star Wars
prequels.
Addresses:
Ewan's UK agent:
Ewan McGregor
c/o Jonathan Altaras & Associates
27 Floral Street
London WC2E 90P
Great Britain
Ewan's US agent:
Ewan McGregor
c/o CAA
9830 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA
90212-1825 USA
I have no idea if these addresses are legitimate. Try at your own risk!