Ewan McGregor's BIO His role in 'Trainspotting' (1996)
March 31, 1971 (Crieff, Perthshire, Scotland, UK)
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  • The beautiful thing about it is that no two directors or actors work the same way. You also learn not to be afraid of discussion and conflict.
  • A lot of parents tell their children that if they want to be an actor, that's fine, but they should do something else first, so they've got something to fall back on. It doesn't work like that, as far as I'm concerned.
  • I played music all through school and I kind of performed that way.
  • We wanted to do a film called The Hellfire Club, and we set it up to try to achieve that, really. With all our arrogance and bravado we wanted to make films our way - we were lucky to be making them at all really. But we wanted to do them our way - we want character driven work, not plot-driven.
  • I'm not a guy who takes films for strong political messages.
  • Mainly I was able to perform with music - I played the French horn, I would sing, and I was a drummer in the pipe band. So I think it was a way to show off.
  • The other two things are... well, I had a huge appetite for old black and white movies on BBC 2. At the weekends they used to run matinees, and the more romantic the better.
  • I was nine years old when I made up my mind that that was what I definitely wanted to do.
  • Clara's 16 months, and she's really brilliant. She started talking, half in French and half in English. I don't speak French near as well as her.
  • I got married because I fell in love with this woman. I had a baby with her because we wanted to have children. But that's not because of some philosophical ideal at all, no.
  • I'm just trying to live life the way I want to live it, the way we want to live it.
  • I like to dance, but it's not my weekend activity. I'm not a clubber.
  • It's important, that spirit of youth, and when you're 16 that can get you kickstarted.
  • No, I'm putting it away, trying to buy a house for my family. The goal is to use the money to move into a big house, so my daughter can have a garden.
  • I remember in Shallow Grave I remember a few times when we'd only have to do one take. But when you did have to do more than one, you'd build on the one you'd done.
  • Conservative's the last thing I am.
  • I left halfway through my third year to start Lipstick On Your Collar, which was the first thing I ever did.
  • Once you've agreed the script, you must be willing to go as far as it needs to go on set.
  • I'm a bit of an Oasis fan. I always have been, but I like a massive cross-section of music.
  • No, no I'm not, no, but I just think... when people are naked it tells you a lot about their relationships.
  • I certainly have no plans to leave London. It's a great town.
  • I really want to play Princess Leia. Stick some big pastries on my head. Now that would be interesting.
  • I've done nudity in lots of things before. It's something that's never particularly bothered me.
  • As a child I was taken to the pantomime or the theatre and I would always, always fall in love with somebody on the stage. And want to have sex with them.
  • I'm just into making quality stuff if I can, with interesting people and good scripts. But it's very important that it's about something and that it says something. Otherwise, I don't know what the point is, really.
  • I chose to live in London, and I love it there. But I'm Scottish through and through. It's a great place, a beautiful land and a beautiful people.
  • I've played in pipe bands in Scotland, and I've always played guitars and drums and stuff.
  • I'm fiercely proud to be Scottish.
  • At school there was no acting to be had other than school plays which I did now and again.
  • It's not my job to try and alter the director's style - he's in charge, and I'll always give him my trust.
  • So, no, I'm not trying to crack into Hollywood, although I'll make films there if they're good scripts.
  • Then I left school at 16 and worked in Perth Repertory Theatre, which was quite nearby where I lived. And I worked there for about six or seven months, as part of the stage crew.
  • From there I did a one year theatre acting course in Fife, and then three years of drama school in London.
  • I think there's got to be a scene where Obi-Wan's in the buff. Yeah, when he drops his robes or something and shows everyone his light saber.
  • Ultimately, you have to not worry about people thinking you should have played him differently. You're the one playing the part so it has to be yours.
  • No, I haven't got any tattoos. Not yet.
  • I never imagined it wouldn't work out for me. I had that absolute certainty in myself that has seen me through, I think, and my parents were absolutely behind me all the way.
  • I can just tell you I've had a few meetings with George Lucas, and he's lovely - a very nice man.
  • I'm just looking for that moment to drop my Jedi knickers and pull out my real light saber.
  • I'm sure it's not great fun for them, or for any parent, when their child says they want to be an actor, 'cos it's quite an uncertain business and it can be terribly hard for most actors.