Before a whole generation knew him for playing the mythical Obi Wan Kenobi, Ewan McGregor was already part of popular culture thanks to Trainspotting. His Mark Renton, converted into a generational idol, is a symbol of a quarrelsome and brilliant type of cinema. Danny Boyle's film didn't just tell a complicated story from a bold point of view. At the same time he created a language about modern pessimism and the youth that McGregor showed in his disturbing splendor.
But the actor also played young Edward Bloom in the romantic classic Big Fish. One of Tim Burton's most beloved poignant and acclaimed films, propelled the Scottish actor to a new level of recognition. As if that weren't enough, rarities like director Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book and Baz Luhrmann's hit Moulin Rouge brought him curious recognition. Both as an actor in the indie world, as a star of blockbusters, Ewan McGregor became unpredictable. But especially, an actor who could give an amazing personality to any project he was involved in.
However, his interpretation of Obi Wan Kenobi is his great contribution to pop culture. The character, brought to the screen by Sir Alec Guinness, found in Ewan McGregor an unknown sensitivity and unique vulnerability. Also, all the mystery of a growing Jedi Master. As the connecting point between the original trilogies and the prequels, the character of Obi Wan Kenobi is a link of considerable interest in Star Wars. And MacGregor managed to turn that relevance into power, interest and a particular point of view on moral duty.
So the filmography of Ewan McGregor has a special value for movie lovers. From the quintessential blockbuster to the most refined independent cinema. The actor has come a long way to create an amazing version of cinema and its nuances. We leave you ten films of the actor that you should see to get a better idea of his weight in the cinematographic world.
Tomb at ground level
Danny Boyle's film debut brought Ewan McGregor's first big performance. At the same time, an early success that suddenly made him the great promise of English cinema in the 1990s. The story of an inexplicable death, a greedy decision and in the end a fight to the death baffled the public and dazzled the critics.
Especially for the way Boyle analyzed horror, suspense and greed from a mocking and perverse point of view. With a surprising visual section, he became a disturbing journey through the intellectual darkness and then the ambiguity of contemporary morality.
But it was Ewan McGregor's performance — the incarnation of a certain spirited evil — that marked the film and made it a minor phenomenon. With a cruel smile, the actor created a character full of chiaroscuro and in the end pure violence. Thanks to his efforts, Tumba a ras de la tierra became an icon of a type of twisted cinema that opened doors to new languages and proposals.
Trainspotting
It was the middle of the nineties and the cinema was looking for its identity, through subtle changes in style and rhythm on screen. The arguments became more daring and later, a pessimistic existentialism came to create new proposals. Danny Boyle bet on that dark and extravagant side of the cinematographic and he did it, through a turbulent generational portrait. The adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel Trainspotting turned the notion of youth and hopelessness into something new.
And of course, the director found in McGregor the best portrait of a country — an era — that was falling apart. A generation consumed by selfishness, uncertainty and fear. Brazen, violent, brutal and uncomfortable, the film left a bad taste in the critics' mouths and also seduced them. At the same time he found a legion of fans who clung to his stark portrayal of contemporary disenchantment.
In particular, Ewan McGregor's Mark Renton turned the film into a cynical gem. With his carefree, violent air, trembling hands and angry face, Ewan McGregor created a mirror in which a very young Europe could look at itself. And it was that forced center of gravity that gave the film its timeless tone. The first iconic character for McGregor.
The Pillow Book
A decade before the debate about bisexual characters, male nudity and gore cinema linked to the erotic, Ewan McGregor starred in this diminutive classic. And he did, amid controversy and a moderate scandal that turned his success in an entirely new direction. If until now, the actor had been known for his ability to create contemporary and complex characters, Jerome was a step into the unknown.
The story of an atypical love triangle that ends in an involuntary suicide, is as surreal as it is poetic. Also, the performance of McGregor, become the object of desire of the two main characters. And it is the plot's unique insight into love, desire and obsession that gives the actor the best scenes of it.
Whether skinned with love poems or turned into a lover's macabre handcrafted treasure. McGregor proved that his well-known capacity for nonchalance could go to completely amazing places. And not only that: that the actor was ready to try a whole new panorama in contemporary cinema.
A different story
Back under the direction of Danny Boyle, the actor decided to try a less intense register. And it failed. Between romantic comedy and fantasy, this story of a kidnapping, two angels and an idealized city, displeased the critics and the public. And though Ewan McGregor pulled off another one of his memorable performances. But his sweet and strange Robert Lewis was not enough to lift the film on his shoulders. In reality, McGregor would say later that it was an experiment that did not turn out as he imagined. Something that was notorious in the poor editing of the film and especially, the confusing and sweetened final result.
But McGregor showed his ability to shine even in situations where the script was not the best nor was the support of the public. Also, that he could make people laugh. Away from his intense, pessimistic and dark roles, he found a playful way of analyzing humor. And despite the indifference that this minor work aroused, Ewan McGregor showed that he was much more than the fetish actor of an avant-garde director.
War Prequel Trilogy of the Galaxies
Obi Wan Kenobi was one of the characters that aroused the most curiosity, admiration and affection in the original Star Wars trilogy. So when it was announced that there would be a prequel to cinema's most beloved Space Opera, the big question was which actor would play him. Much more so, after his film debut was at the hands of actor Sir Alec Guinness. Who could replace the actor's measured, sober and elegant version of the Jedi survivor of Palpatine's Order 66?
There was surprise when Ewan McGregor's name was announced. Much more, when the first details of the plot began to arrive. The stories would narrate the complicated and brutal transition from the Republic to the Empire. And that would show a Kenobi in the midst of political intrigues, fights and finally, exile. Until then, Ewan McGregor had shown an acting record closer to the mundane than a work of fantasy. Could you fully understand the complexity of such a pop icon?
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Subscribe to Disney+ and save Not only did he understand it, but he also gave him his own identity. McGregor made Kenobi's version of him pay homage to Guinness's, but he also held an internal tension that gave it weight and elegance. This young Jedi Master with a huge responsibility seemed to be the face of a whole new generation of fans. And as curious as he may seem, the most steadfast character in a spotty story that still garners mixed reviews.
Velvet Goldmine
McGregor is something of a quirky rock star, and part of that identity shone through in his character in this bizarre Todd Haynes plot. The story of a singer who fakes his own death before his decline is poetic and painful. But it is the performance of McGregor, turned into a kind of involuntary double of the late Kurt Cobain, the high point of a soft plot. His representation of fame, the abandonment of fear and disappointment of adult life, surprised and moved. But much more, the abandon with which McGregor showed the decline and turbulence of fame.
His performance stood out especially for his ability to create the connotation of the loss of innocence. Haynes's film analyzes the obsession with public attention and, at the same time, the fear of anonymity. Between both things, Ewan McGregor sang, danced and had wild sex with Christian Bale on a public terrace. A symbol of late and bitter beauty of life in front of the spotlight.
Moulin Rouge
Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and the Dumas' Lady with the Camellias came to the cinema for the umpteenth time in the form of a musical. And Baz Luhrmann decided that it would not only be lavish, but also make history in a genre in decline. To make sure of that, he hired a splendid Nicole Kidman to star in the story and Ewan McGregor to become his devoted mistress. The result was a high caliber blockbuster that turned the classic story into a moment of considerable importance in today's cinema.
As if that weren't enough, the film became an extraordinary display of music in the service of an exciting story. Kidman and Ewan McGregor turned the plot into a sweet version of tragic love and also into a high-end show that caused a sensation. Everything, accompanied by a soundtrack for the story with Christina Aguilera at the helm.
Big Fish
It has been called one of the most beautiful love stories of the last forty years and a rarity in the fantasy genre. Actually, Tim Burton's film is a careful gem about love, grief, and imagination. All in the midst of the particular aesthetics of the director and his dark sensibility . And it is Ewan McGregor who is in charge of embodying a romantic story that does not stick to commonplaces and that defies the norm on several occasions.
Halfway between the fable, the notion of identity and heartbreaking intimacy, Big Fish is an allegation about tenderness and loss. At the same time, a journey through the subtlety of feeling through dreamlike and powerful scenes that surprise for their eloquence. Tim Burton, who took years to come up with a speech like Big Fish's, celebrates the power of the emotional with a sophisticated speech. And Ewan McGregor accompanies him in a collection of unforgettable images that went down in film history.
The impossible
Based on the true story of Spanish doctor María Belón during the 2004 Sumatra — Andarán earthquake, this overwhelming tragedy shocked critics. The devastating premise about survivors in the midst of a natural disaster of incalculable proportions became a classic of disaster cinema. Also in a heartbreaking drama in which the will and in the end, love achieves a small miracle in the midst of devastating destruction.
McGregor plays a family man who must face the possibility of death. And at the same time, go through unimaginable situations to be able to stand up, morally and physically. Perhaps the film that demands the most from the actor is the one that surprises the most because of his emotionality and sincerity. For his final installment, Ewan McGregor managed to bring the audience to tears. But also, rise beyond a simple look of terror to become a symbol of hope.
Doctor Sleep
The unexpected sequel to Stanley Kubrick's classic The Shining had a double bind. On the one hand, analyzing the foundational work of horror cinema from the perspective of recognizing its importance and permanence. On the other hand, blend the most recent history with its long-term legacy. And as if all of the above weren't enough, delve into the terror from King's intimate and painful speech. And for that he needed a competent actor who could play an adult Danny Torrance, a victim of the ghost of his father and his memory.
Ewan McGregor did it. Danny is not just a survivor, but a man with a destiny and purpose. With his past as a backdrop, the character must face unimaginable monsters and return to the center of all his horrors. And while Mike Flanagan's camera turns the horror described by King into stylized images, Ewan McGregor endows Danny with passion, compassion and kindness. For its harsh and brutal ending, the film becomes more than just the sense of homage and reaches for the conception of good, as an adult premise. More than could be asked of any horror movie.
