Ewan McGregor Interview

Where Ewan McGregor Finds Happiness

By Sara Shereen Bakhshian

Anticipation has been building for the next film adaptation of a Dan Brown novel. American audiences won't have to wait much longer as "Angels & Demons" hits theaters on May 15, featuring Ewan McGregor as Camerlengo Patrick McKenna. The Scotsman--who has starred in such films as "Trainspotting," "Star Wars I-III," and "Big Fish," spoke to Beliefnet recently about why he wanted to be a part of the film, his thoughts on religion, and why he wouldn't have done the movie if it was anti-Christian.

Start the interview with Ewan McGregor.

Sara Shereen Bakhshian is an experienced editor, reporter and writer covering religion, the entertainment industry, health care, the environment, culture, business and other topical issues for newspapers, magazines, online publications and radio.

*All photos from Columbia Pictures' "Angels & Demons'

What initially intrigued you about joining the "Angels & Demons" cast?

I wanted to work with Ron Howard for a long time. … When he was making "The Da Vinci Code," we bumped into each other several times in London at a restaurant where I like to go to brunch with my kids and wife on Sunday. He seemed to be there a lot on Sunday with his family, so I would always go and say hello to him. I found him very approachable and friendly. And sometime after that he called me about this script. Not only did I want to work with him, I [liked the script] as a kind of old-fashioned thriller, a page-turner.

What was the dynamic like on set with Ron Howard and such a diverse cast?

Because [Howard has] worked with [Tom] Hanks before [now four times], they've got a really nice working relationship and strong friendship. That infused the set. There was a really wonderful, warm atmosphere to work in for all the actors. It was a great cast, people from all over the world. It was a nice feeling on set there.

How did the film's significant attention to detail—such as the wardrobe and rituals associated with the death of a pope–influence your performance?

I think one of the most important things about playing somebody who's a man of God is that self-assuredness. I've never met anybody who represented a religion who isn't absolutely 100 percent convinced of their beliefs. I had to achieve that. I think that is the most important thing really. I had to be completely confident and self-assured about Patrick's beliefs in his church and his God. Therefore once you've achieved that, really all his actions make sense because he's doing this for a reason. I think it is always important to understand why your character is doing what he does.

What are your thoughts on some claims that the film is anti-Catholic or anti-Christian?

I just heard in fact that the Church released a statement that there really is nothing to worry about, and that it is an old-fashioned thriller. I've always thought that. If it had been anti-Catholic, anti-Christian, or challenged anybody's spiritual beliefs, I wouldn't want to do it. I'm not interested in that. I'm not a religious person myself, but I respect completely people's religious beliefs. I can understand and appreciate that it is important to them. I wouldn't want to be involved in a film that I thought challenged them for no reason at all. This really is an old-fashioned kind of thriller set in an interesting world of the Vatican, where the stakes are very high because there is this huge, important center of faith.

How do you stay grounded with a high-profile career and all that it entails?

Because I understand what it is about. I understand that interviews and publicity is a means to sell a film. I realize what makes me happy is the work and not anything else. The most satisfying part of my job is finishing a scene, knowing that I've done my best. Feeling that I nailed a scene that maybe I didn't know how it was going to play 20 minutes ago, that makes me really happy. Doing publicity, doing interviews and magazine covers is all rather irrelevant to me. I have to do all that to support the work that I do. But the most important thing is the work itself. As long as that is the case, you could be quite satisfied and content.

In the TV mini-series documentaries "Long Way Round" (2004) and "Long Way Down" (2007), you take motorcycle trips around the world. What motivated you to take these journeys, and what did you take away from them?

I had an amazing experience. I rode from London to New York where we met Charley [Boorman] in 2004. And in 2007 we rode from Scotland to Cape Town, [South Africa] through the continent of Africa. On both of the trips, I found enormous amounts of relaxation. I met some extraordinary human beings who live very different lives than our own. I was fortunate enough to work on six or seven different UNICEF projects, which is a charity I am associated with and believe in very strongly. They make a great effort to make children's lives better in places where children have quite hard lives. So I found that very fulfilling. I got to ride my motorbike, which is something I like to do for hours and hours on end and day after day.

You have a background in theater including the 2008 West End production in London of "Othello." Do you have a preference between theater and film?

I like them both and think they're both really important. Theater is inordinately more difficult than film. It's extraordinarily hard to maintain performance for six months at a time, night after night. It's very very rewarding, and you are responsible for the storytelling from the beginning to the end as actors. Whereas in film you hand your work into the hands of the editor and director, they sculpt it from there...

I think they are both really valid and inform each other. The work I've done in film certainly makes me a better stage actor. And the work I've done on stage makes me a better film actor. I think they go kind of hand in glove.

You've had a pretty diverse filmography so far, from "Trainspotting" to the "Star Wars" franchise and now "Angels & Demons." What do you hope for in the future?

Just more of the same. I like the fact I get to work on different kinds of projects, and I'm not concerned about if it's a studio picture or an independent picture. I think [that] leads to quite interesting work and choices. That makes me happy. More of the same please.