This site is all about what people think of Ewan McGregor. By clicking on the quotes link in the site map box to your right you can read quotes about the man from over 200 of his peers, co-workers, family-members and friends. The reviews link will allow you to read what the press think of him and awards will outline the accolades he's won. The spotlight link will bring you to a small sample of quotes and reviews on a particular theme. Finally, if you are only interested in the most recent additions to the site, you'll find those below.

REVIEWS

Young Adam (2003)
You might be thinking that you can live without the first film in the Scottish canal movie genre, but in Ewan McGregor "Young Adam" has a British star who's got what it takes - great charisma, movie star good looks and shots aplenty in his acting locker. Forgetting his "Stars Wars" films - not a task which overtaxed me - he's usually made what have proved to be interesting choices, and this movie reinforces that impression (...) McGregor's superb performance calls to mind Steve McQueen, Montgomery Clift or even the young Brando at their best, displaying true screen presence, intelligence and skill.
Jonathan Ross, BBC Film 2003, September 24 2003 (thank you Kudrauk)

Then there's McGregor, surely a revelation in this role. As he has risen up the world rankings with the Star War movies and mega-budget productions such as Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down, it's easy to forget that he has a hunger for more challenging roles. Young Adam fits into McGregor's CV alongside the likes of Nora, Velvet Goldmine and his Peter Greenaway collaboration, The Pillow Book. But, as a performance, it outstrips them all. McGregor is a fantastically gifted actor in close-up. Just look again at the sheer, shining joy on his face when the camera moves in on the musical numbers in Moulin Rouge. In Young Adam, the lens captures every flicker on his face in tight detail, as his character goes through a lifetime of emotions within the confines of a single film. It's not an easy part to play; it's an even more difficult character for the audience to like. Yet, despite the blank wall that McGregor throws up betweenthe character's hidden emotions and our prying eyes, we ultimately sympathise with his plight. Alan Morrison, Daily Record, September 26 2003 (thank you xcbug)

That the film refuses to prod us into easy emotional responses is one of its great and very unusual strengths. Joe could be a remote, blank figure, but McGregor, giving the performance of his life, invests him with just enough soul, a compelling mixture of magnetism and calculation, to keep us from being disengaged. But disengaged is what Joe himself is. Sukhdev Sandhu, The Telegraph, September 26 2003 (thank you Gail & Claude)

The most impressive aspect of Ewan McGregor's performance is his stillness. Most of the time he hardly seems to do anything, yet there's an ineffably sly and feral streak in his demeanour. To be honest, he was a revelation to me. There's not a single film I've liked McGregor in since Trainspotting, and I include his inept yodelling in Moulin Rouge. Here he keeps himself reined in, watchful and calculating through the smokescreen of his roll-ups; we can't quite get a handle on him, at least not until a flashback scene towards the end, when Cathie comes back to their flat and complains about his laziness. Anthony Quinn, The Independent, September 26 2003 (thank you Mrs EGM)

Beautiful in its gritty realism, the movie smoulders with sensuality and raw emotion, thanks in part to a brilliant McGregor's brooding masculinity. Sloan Freer, BBC Radio Times, September 2003 (thank you Mrs EGM)

REVIEW

Young Adam (2003)
At its core, however, this is McGregor's film. Appearing in every scene, dominating every frame of this production, he shows he's about far more than being charming, flashing his lightsaber and flashing his manhood. Instead we see the edges of McGregor's abilities, in what is perhaps his finest performance since Trainspotting (...) Young Adam won't go down in history as a classic, but it marks the emergence from their filmmaking chrysalis' of two talents. McGregor's maturity as an actor and Mackenzie's ability as a director can no longer be in doubt, and Young Adam will stand as testament to their development.
Manchester online, September 25 2003

REVIEWS

Young Adam (2003)
I say Ewan McGregor gets inside Joe's skin, but that's as far as he gets. He looks pale, tousled, sullen, withdrawn, but nothing comes from deeper inside to lend fathom inches to the character's despair or anomie. This rebel's cause is just grunge self- dramatisation, a Christly or anti-Christly "I suffer for the world". Nigel Andrews, Financial Times, September 24 2003

No amount of fine supporting playing, however, could have saved Young Adam, top quality script, photography, and all, without a remarkable central performance. Providing it with superb modulation and restraint, McGregor gives the performance of his career. Miles Fielder, The Herald, September 25 2003 (thank you Gail)

REVIEW

Young Adam (2003)
In maybe his most finely tuned performance, Ewan McGregor is quietly profound as Joe. Stella Papamichael, BBC Films, September 23 2003 (thank you Karen)

REVIEW

Young Adam (2003)
The celebrity clout of Ewan McGregor is the picture’s best chance to break into the mainstream movie-going consciousness. And fans drawn by his name alone will be rewarded with the actor’s most complex and mature performance to date (...) McGregor is outstanding and his performance is complemented by equally impressive turns by Swinton and Mullan. Sunday Herald, September 21 2003 (thank you Gail)

Renny Rye (director Lipstick on Your Collar)
You never know until you put them in front of a camera, whether it will happen on screen. You meet actors - some walk into a room with fantastic charisma, you put the camera on them, play it back - and there's nothing there. Others come in without it, and it only emerges in the camera. He has it in the room - and in the camera. Observer Magazine, September 7 2003 (thank you Mel and Gail)

Jeremy Thomas (producer Young Adam)
(when asked if he had to pay Ewan a lot to be in Young Adam)
There are never such problems with Ewan because he is a great actor, actually the only one who was able to do the job the way we wanted, and whose priority is still making good quality films no matter how much money he gets. He did an excellent job in this film. www.sff.ba, Sarajevo Film Festival website, August 19 2003

Alison Lohman (actor Big Fish)
Ewan McGregor is charming. He's just really sweet and a total gentleman. The Morning Call, September 6 2003 (thank you Gail)

Alison Lohman (actor Big Fish)
We had to do a kissing scene, and I was so nervous. So the first time he met me, Ewan came straight up and kissed me right away, to get rid of the awkwardness. USA Weekend September 5-7 2003 (thank you Tragic-ookami)

Renee Zellweger (actor Down With Love - Barbara)
I had the time of my life. I'd been friends with Ewan for a long time and I've been a fan of his for even longer. I've wanted to work with him because I find the way that he approaches his work and the choices that he makes to be inspiring. Going to work was a joy because we saw eye to eye on everything. I just loved how we communicated. Telegraph, September 6 2003 (thank you Gail)

Peter Mullan (actor Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, Young Adam)
It's difficult to say this without sounding wanky or arselicky, but he's as good a young actor as I know. He's a fucking darling. What I love about him is that he's still as enthusiastic to be a good actor. That's unusual because he's in a position now when he doesn't need to be a good actor; he can call his price and be a megastar. The two aren't the same thing. Empire, October 2003 (thank you TheMeems)

Michelle Branch (singer, musician)
I was in London during an MTV promo for my first album (The Spirit Room) and Ewan McGregor was there promoting Star Wars Episode II Attack Of The Clones. I found out and called off my interview and stood in the hall outside hoping to meet him. I basically stalked him! I have a picture of the two of us on my fridge at home, among the photos of friends and family. I keep telling everyone, 'Ewan and I look really good together, dont we?'. TV Week (Australia), September 6-12 2003 (thank you MRS EGM)