EWAN McGREGOR

by Nate Lee 

BEST FILM:

Big Fish...

The younger version of Albert Finney in the film, and a flashback to Finney’s winning charm in “Tom Jones.” This time, the epic journey, directed by Tim Burton, takes the always smiling McGregor by a man-eating giant, through a perfect town, into a circus and after his one true love. Easily one of anyone’s favorite films. 

BLOCKBUSTERS:

Moulin Rouge

The Island

Black Hawk Down

And, oh yeah…

Star Wars I, II, III 

GREAT PERFORMANCES YOU MAY NOT HAVE SEEN:

Trainspotting (watershed performance as a heroin addict)

Shallow Grave (a journalist trying to trust his roommates)

Down with Love (opposite Renee Zellweger in a terrific send-up of ‘50s romantic comedies)

Miss Potter (casting a guy named McGregor to play opposite the author of Peter Rabbit is some kind of surreal funny)

Emma (opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in Austen classic) 

RELATIVELY OBSCURE FILMS:

Being Human

The Pillow Book

Brassed Off (unemployed mineworker playing in a brass band)

A Life Less Ordinary (Cameron Diaz)

A Serpent’s Kiss

Little Voice

Nora (James Joyce) 

THE REAL McGREGOR:

Moulin Rouge and Big Fish...

Really it’s anything he can sing in, for he’s an earnest, sincere, musical-comedy leading man who can pull off any genre without a trace of irony, though it seems from his early works that he is ironic to the hilt. Plus, the aforementioned charm of Big Fish. 

ACTING STYLE:

Skilled enough to make anyone who was introduced to him as the young Obi-Wan in the Star Wars trilogy do a neck-wrenching double-take seeing him in “Trainspotting” or “Shallow Grave.” He started out as the ‘90s version of Malcolm McDowell – smart, cool, British extreme bad boy. Fortunately for his career, perhaps, “Trainspotting” was not a mega-hit, so most of America got their first glimpse of this Mac as a hero. Also, he changes himself and the type of film he’s in constantly.  In some circles, that’s called acting. 

BITS AND QUIRKS:

A strange leer and an equally strange disarming clenched-teeth but wide smile. Pounces on some words with a full Scottish brogue, but then lets go to play Americans. Deadpans his way through most of “Star Wars,” but is able to channel enough of Alec Guinness’s bits and quirks to give us a connection to the middle trilogy.  

GREAT SCENES:

BIG FISH - His heroic high-school years > Time slowing down and speeding up as he sees Jessica Lange > Working in the circus > Talking with the giant

STAR WARS III - The fight with Anakin

STAR WARS I - The fight with the Sith

SHALLOW GRAVE - The auditions in the beginning > Burying the corpse > The fight over the suitcase at the end

TRAINSPOTTING - Going cold turkey > The baby dying > The “choose” opening chase scene

BLACK HAWK DOWN - Complaining that he never gets to go on missions, then being a little nervous when he does get a mission

DOWN WITH LOVE - The musical numbers

THE ISLAND - Fighting Scarlett Johansson > Double-crossing himself, or his clone

 

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