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Ewan News
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News Archive
January - June 2005
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Ewan Off This Week
According to a message posted in the What's
On Stage forums, Ewan will be off this week and should return next week. Norman Bowman is performing
the role of 'Sky' in Guys and Dolls.
Let's hope that everything is okay!
Thanks to Jett and Sanne for the heads up! |
Posted by Best of Ewan McGregor on
Thursday, June 30, 2005 // 03:04 p.m.
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N.Y. rolling out its red carpets
Tue., Jun. 28, 2005
The film business might not be based in New York, but this summer the premiere business is.
The majority of major preems (premieres) have already, or will, take place in Gotham this summer: "Madagascar" in
May; "Bewitched," "War of the Worlds," "Howl's Moving Castle," and "Dark Water" in June; "Fantastic
Four," "The Island" and "Wedding Crashers" in July.
"This is the biggest year I've ever seen for premieres in New York," said L.A.-based event planner
Jeffrey Best. "But at least we've still got the award-season events out here."
A few mega-films have a slew of openings ("The Lord of the Rings" had more premieres than it had elves).
But studio belt-tightening means that usually the premiere is either in L.A. or New York -- not both.
If a New York-preeming film has another red carpet event in Los Angeles, as there was Monday for "War
of the Worlds" this is usually labeled a "special screening," which doesn't trigger the premiere
contract clause whereby talent and family have to be flown in.
"Everything is cyclical," said Universal special projects senior V.P. Hollace David. "And this year
it just made sense to premiere a lot of movies in New York."
Publicists at various studios say there are usually three reasons for premiering in Gotham.
- The talent either lives or works in Manhattan. "Bewitched" director Nora Ephron lives there and star
Nicole Kidman is on location with "Fur."
- It's where the film is set, which is essentially the case with "War of the Worlds" and "Fantastic
Four," which will be the first preem ever held on Liberty Island.
- If European-based actors are available for a short window, New York is logistically easier than L.A. "The
Island" is set on the West Coast, but that factor is trumped by the fact that stars Ewan McGregor and
Scarlett Johansson are both working in the U.K. The shorter flight to New York was better for their
scheduling.
Event organizers say each coast has its advantages: L.A. has more large theaters while New York has
more large, party-suitable venues. Hold a premiere in L.A. and travel costs are reduced, since most talent
and execs are there; launch in New York and it's easier getting stars around the morning talkshow
circuit.
Easier street closure
On the upside for L.A., it's easier to arrange the red-carpet setup, which usually involves a street
closure. In New York, "It's World War III if you want to close a lane," one planner said.
At the Tribeca Film Festival's opening-night of "The Interpreter" in April, the combined power
of everyone from Robert De Niro on down couldn't close 54th Street facing the Ziegfeld Theater.
Organizers settled for one lane.
And the 1,162-seat Ziegfeld is pretty much the only location for a single-screen house in Manhattan.
(The single-screen Beekman, with only 510 seats, closed last Sunday.) The alternatives are multiplexes
(which studios avoid because of cross traffic from other auditoriums); or setting up your own screen,
which is what Sony did when it premiered "Hitch" on Ellis Island in February.
Studio planners say there might be more use soon of the Skirball Center's 850-seat theater at NYU,
and the Museum of Natural History's 926-seat LeFrak Theater, which Fox used last summer for "The
Day After Tomorrow."
One studio exec pointed out one advantage of a New York preem: "There can be sameness to doing premieres
in L.A. You see the same 500 people over and over."
Gotham's fresh faces
However, those familiar L.A. faces are at least famous. In New York, there's a paucity of big-name celebrity
guests: "Today" show weatherman Al Roker is greeted by the press as though he's Leonardo DiCaprioLeonardo
DiCaprio.
On the other hand, instead of having the usual agents and managers who populate L.A. preems, in New
York there's a chance to invite the editors of weekly magazines (and their corporate bosses), which keeps
relationships warm and -- some publicists think -- results in additional photo coverage.
On the all-important subject of costs, it's agreed that New York prices are higher, but that doesn't
necessarily mean the premiere tab is more.
"You just spend the money differently," one studio planner said. "I don't have a bigger
budget. I spend more on food and drink in New York, but I don't have as big a decor and entertainment
package. And I'm usually going into an existing venue rather than creating something from scratch in
a parking lot."
Consider party costs at two museums on opposite coasts: NYC's MoMA rents for $50,000; L.A.'s Hammer
goes for $25,000. Arts lovers may say you get what you pay for, but these costs are just for space, not
the quality of art inside.
Gotham's turn on the premiere cycle won't end with the summer, either: "King Kong" -- likely
to be a gargantuan bowbow -- will preem this December in Manhattan.
Source: Variety
Thanks to Mary for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 // 08:21 p.m.
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Actor picked to play Alex Rider
Wednesday June 29 2005
Alex Pettyfer is about to break into the big-time after he was picked to play teenage super-spy Alex
Rider.
Alex will play the lead role in a film based on Stormbreaker, the first of Anthony Horowitz's
best-selling books.
The 15-year-old was chosen ahead of 500 other young actors for the part in the £25m film, alongside
Ewan McGregor.
Alex said: "This is going to be such a great experience for me. Alex is an amazing character leading
this incredible life as a spy."
Alex admitted that he was looking forward to acting with Ewan, who played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star
Wars films and their accompanying games.
"I'm not nervous at all but it will be a bit strange that one minute I'm playing a PlayStation
game with Ewan McGregor in it and the next minute I'm standing next to him."
Loads of big Hollywood stars will be performing with him as well, including Mickey Rourke, Alicia Silverstone
and Oscar-nominated Sophie Okonedo.
The role is thought to be one of the toughest ever for a child actor, but Alex is ready for it.
He said: "I've already started ju-jitsu training and I plan to do as many of my own stunts as I
can. The training is hectic but it's good fun."
Source: BBC
News
Thanks to Mary for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June 29, 2005 // 07:55 p.m.
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Alex Pettyfer lands new role
Wednesday, 29th June 2005
The search for a young actor to play Alex Rider, the hero of Anthony Horowitz's books about a teenage superspy,
is over. Movie bosses today unveiled 15-year-old Alex Pettyfer as the star of their £25 million blockbuster.
Pettyfer has appeared on screen only once before, in the ITV1 adaptation of Tom Brown's Schooldays,
shown on New Year's Day.
He beat 500 other hopefuls to land the lead in the Hollywood version of Stormbreaker, the first story in
the series and the most sought-after role since Harry Potter.
Ewan McGregor, Mickey Rourke, Bill Nighy, Alicia Silverstone, Damian Lewis and Sophie Okonedo will also appear in
the film.
The US rights have been snapped up by movie moguls Bob and Harvey Weinstein, and if Stormbreaker is a hit
there are plans to turn all six of Horowitz's books into a James Bond-style franchise.
The books have sold eight million copies worldwide and been translated into 28 languages.
Alex becomes a schoolboy special agent after his uncle and guardian, Ian Rider, is killed in a mysterious car crash.
He discovers his uncle was working undercover for MI6, and the teenager is drawn into the employ of the secret service.
The all-action role will be the most physically demanding ever undertaken by a child actor.
Alex climbs mountains, scuba dives, wields an array of high-tech gadgets and is an expert in martial arts.
Pettyfer was at Pinewood Studios in Hertfordshire today, where part of the film will be made.
He said: "This is going to be such a great experience for me. Alex is an amazing character leading this incredible
life as a spy.
"I've already started ju-jitsu training and I plan to do as many of my own stunts as I can. The training is
hectic but it's good fun."
Ewan McGregor will play Alex's uncle, while Mickey Rourke is the villain, megalomaniac businessman Herod Sayle.
Bill Nighy will play MI6 spymaster Mr Blunt, with Oscar-nominee Sophie Okonedo as his colleague Mrs Jones.
Alex's friend and housekeeper Jack Starbright will be played by Clueless actress Alicia Silverstone,
while Damian Lewis will be the Russian assassin Yassen Gregorovich. So Solid Crew's Ashley Walters will
appear as SAS soldier Wolf.
Pettyfer's only previous interaction with McGregor has been through his Star Wars computer game, in
which the Scot appears as Obi-Wan Kenobi.
The teenager said: "It will be fantastic to be acting with all these big name guys. I'm not nervous at all
but it will be a bit strange that one minute I'm playing a Playstation game with Ewan McGregor in it and the
next minute I'm standing next to him."
A former child model, Pettyfer was picked up by an agent who sent him for the audition in Tom Brown's Schooldays.
Horowitz spotted him in the drama and suggested his name to the Stormbreaker producers.
After he starred in the drama opposite Stephen Fry, fan websites began springing up devoted to Pettyfer's blond,
blue-eyed good looks.
The schoolboy, who does not have a girlfriend and is a fan of Paris Hilton, is set for international heart-throb
status when Stormbreaker is released next summer, but is taking the female attention firmly in his stride.
"I have seen one of the websites because my friend showed me it, and I'm not sure how I feel about it," he
admitted.
"But this role isn't about whether or not I'm good looking, it's about making an exciting film for
kids who have read the Alex Rider books and are expecting the character to come alive."
Pettyfer will leave Shiplake, his boarding school in Henley-on-Thames, and be taught by a private tutor for the
duration of filming - something he is over the moon about.
"I hope I don't have to go back at all," he said. "I've always been one of those kids who sit in class
day-dreaming."
He is not the only star in the family - his 12-year-old brother James is tipped as a future British tennis champion
and is moving to Florida to join the Evert Tennis Academy.
Horowitz said he was delighted with his new star.
"I saw Alex in Tom Brown's Schooldays and was so impressed by his performance that I emailed the film's
producers and said 'You have to see this boy'," he said.
"I've always been aware the film stands or falls by the casting of Alex. I feel enormous relief that we have
found him. This Alex looks the part, he definitely has the talent and he is also a really nice boy.
"We have a stunning cast - to have the likes of Mickey Rourke as the villain is just delightful. It's more
than exciting, it's thrilling for me. It's a dream come true - I know that's a ghastly cliche, but
I really did dream of this happening one day."
Source: Manchester
Online
Thanks to Mary for the heads up! |
Posted by Best of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June
29, 2005 // 07:54 p.m.
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Photos of Ewan at Goodwood
Thanks to Georginita, here are a few photos of Ewan at Goodwood (news story below):
Thank you Georginita for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, June 27, 2005 // 10:24 p.m.
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Ewan McGregor reunited with bike and best mate at Goodwood
 Ewan
McGregor came to the Festival of Speed today to be reunited with the bike on which he rode around the
world, and the pal who was with him all the way.
McGregor's BMW R1150 GS was auctioned for charity after the round-the-world trip, and McGregor
and actor and director Charlie Boorman haven't found time to ride together since.
Their trip, which ended a year ago, became a book and TV series 'The Long Way Round'.
"I can't compete with these other bikers," says McGregor, "so I just rode up and gave a wee wave
as I went."
"I didn't have to ride on the same bit of tarmac twice," said Boorman, "so it's odd to go
back up the hill again."
Source: Goodwood
Festival of Speed
Thanks to Patty for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, June 27, 2005 // 07:42 a.m.
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Australian Release Dates
Valiant will be released in Australia on January 12, 2006, while Stay will open on Mar
16, 2006.
Thanks to Noah's Dove for the information! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Saturday, June 25, 2005 // 11:26 a.m.
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Young Vic Rebuild
23rd June 2005 - What's on Stage News
Actors Jude Law and Helen McCrory joined Young Vic artistic director David Lan at the venue in Waterloo
yesterday (22 June 2005) to celebrate the half-way mark in the two-year redevelopment of the building
and a grant from the London Development agency of £500,000.
The grant was announced at the topping out ceremony, which was led by chief patron of the fundraising
initiative Jude Law and which marked the completion of the Young Vic’s new auditorium. Other grants have
been awarded by Arts Council England, the National Lottery, Waterloo Project Boards, and various trusts,
foundations and individual supporters.
One fundraising scheme allows supporters to buy a seat, which will have their name on it, for the new
auditorium at a cost of £1,000. So far, 138 seats have been sold, many to actors, including Patrick
Stewart, Ewan McGregor, Damian Lewis and Clive Owen, as well as Law and McCrory.
There is now only £600,000 left to raise for the £12.5 million rebuild, designed by architects Haworth
Tompkins and built by Verry Construction Ltd. The South Bank venue, which was originally erected 34 years
ago to last a maximum of five years, plans to reopen in September 2006 following completion of the building
by March next year.
Speaking at yesterday’s event, Lan said: “It’s a thrilling moment for us and for British theatre. It
means that the world renowned Young Vic auditorium and company are not just of the past and of the present
but also of the future.”
Though the Young Vic’s semi-in-the-round main auditorium will remain, it will be made more technically
sound and versatile, with an increased capacity of up 600 (as opposed to 350-450 in previous configurations).
The plans also include the creation of two new studios, a workshop, terrace spaces and expanded offices,
dressing rooms and public foyers.
Helen McCrory, who is currently starring in Lan’s West End production of As You Like It with Law’s fiancée
Sienna Miller, said yesterday: “It is important that theatres are new and interesting spaces… I expect
great things.”
Source: What's
On Stage
Thanks to Ellie for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Thursday, June 23, 2005 // 07:48 a.m.
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The Island advanced screening in Boston
SCREENING DATE TO BE DETERMINED
Synopsis: Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in
the mid-21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes
to be chosen to go to the "The Island," reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln
soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the
facility are actually human clones whose only purpose is to provide "spare parts" for their original
human counterparts. Realizing it is only a matter of time before he is "harvested," Lincoln makes a daring
escape with a fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Pursued by the forces of the institute
that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.
Genres: Action/Adventure and Thriller
Running Time: 2 hrs. 5 min
Release Date: July 22nd, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Distributor: Dreamworks SKG
Write us and let us know you'd
like to be entered in the drawing for The Island Advance Screening in Boston. Selectees must respond
to our notification email within 72 hours of our sending it, or forfeit their passes. Pass recipients
will be randomly selected from valid email addresses received before 7/18/05.
Source: Wild
About Movies
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Thursday, June 23, 2005 // 07:37 a.m.
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Special performance of Guys and Dolls for UNICEF - 17 November 2005
A new production of the classic musical ‘Guys and Dolls’ has just hit the West End, with Ewan McGregor
starring as Sky Masterson.
UNICEF is delighted to announce that Ewan, a UNICEF UK Goodwill Ambassador, has reserved the evening
performance of Thursday 17 November for UNICEF. After the performance Ewan will say a few words about
his work with UNICEF - and there will also be a prize draw!
In addition there is the opportunity to buy tickets to an exclusive pre-show cocktail party on 17 November
(venue to be confirmed – but close to the theatre). This ticket will include a champagne reception, canapés
and an exclusive goody bag!
The money raised from the UNICEF show will support UNICEF’s work with children affected by Aids in Malawi
- work which Ewan is planning to see on a trip to Malawi after his role as Sky has ended.
If you would like to book tickets, an application form can be downloaded here or contact Emma Raven
on emmar@unicef.org.uk or 0207 312 7680.
We look forward to seeing you at the Piccadilly Theatre on 17 November!
Source: UNICEF
Thanks to Viv for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, June 21, 2005 // 06:35 p.m.
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 PHOTO
CALL: Ewan McGregor Rolls the Dice in New West End Guys and Dolls
By Morgan Allen
16 Jun 2005
Ewan McGregor – currently on the silver screen across the world in the final “Star Wars” installment – can
also be seen nightly in London’s West End as he leads the cast of a new production of Frank Loesser’s
classic musical Guys and Dolls.
The musical has also been seen in a popular 1955 film version that starred Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra,
as well as a major Broadway revival starring Nathan Lane and Faith Prince that took home four 1992 Tony
Awards. In this incarnation, McGregor plays smooth-talking Sky Masterson, while Broadway favorite Jane
Krakowski takes on the highly comic role of Miss Adelaide.
Guys and Dolls is directed by Michael Grandage and plays at the Piccadilly Theatre in London.
Source: Playbill
Thanks to Georginita for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Saturday, June 18, 2005 // 10:42 p.m.
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A Coul Duel for Biker Ewan
Jun 17 2005
SCOTS stars Ewan McGregor and David Coulthard are to do battle on the race track to find out who is
the real tartan speed king.
McGregor has agreed to race his motorbike against Coulthard's Formula 1 car at the Goodwood Festival
of Speed next week.
McGregor will take part in the hill climb competition, staged throughout the festival weekend on a 1.16-mile
course on parkland roads in the grounds of Goodwood House in Sussex.
It will see him ride his BMW GS1150 Adventure bike (most likely another since that bike was sold
at an auction last year) against Coulthard's Red Bull F1 car.
The cream of the motor racing world, including former world champion Damon Hill, Jenson Button and current
F1 world championship leader Fernando Alonso, will also take part.
McGregor, currently appearing in the West End musical Guys And Dolls, was invited by Lord March, owner
of the sprawling Goodwood estate.
A spokesman for the Festival of Speed said: 'Ewan is going to be there all day on the Sunday.
'He is taking part in the race just for fun, so he doesn't want a big thing made out of it.
'It's his day off from performing on stage in London, so he decided to come along. He used
to ride his motorbike in races in a team, so he really is an old pro.'
McGregor made an epic round-the-world motorcycle trip with actor pal Charley Boorman.
The pair travelled more than 20,000 miles through central Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia,
Siberia, Alaska and Canada.
Source: Daily
Record
Thanks to Baby Jefer for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Friday, June 17, 2005 // 07:32 a.m.
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Watch Ewan's Make Poverty History pitch
Visit makepovertyhistory.org and
scroll down to "Orange" and then select your Internet connection speed, dialup or broadband.
Thanks to Baby Jefer and Patty for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June 15, 2005 // 09:45 p.m.
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Film Star to Host Youth 'G8 Summit'
Tue 14 Jun 2005
By Jude Sheerin, Scottish Press Association
Movie star Ewan McGregor is to host the first children’s version of the G8 summit, it was confirmed
today.
The 34-year-old Unicef ambassador will be joined by violin prodigy Nicola Benedetti at the launch of
C8 in Dunblane, Stirlingshire.
Youngsters from eight of the world’s poorest countries will be flown in by the charity to join children
from some of the richest nations at the forum on July 3.
The 16 youngsters will produce a manifesto to be presented to world leaders when they arrive for the
G8 summit at nearby Gleneagles in Perthshire.
Young people aged from 11 to 18 have been chosen on the basis of their anti-poverty work in schools
and communities.
Children from the developing nations of Bhutan, Moldova, Yemen, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Lesotho
and Bolivia will attend.
They will discuss issues such as poverty, HIV/Aids and education with youngsters from the UK, France,
Germany and Italy for three days at the Hilton Hydro.
McGregor, from Crieff in Perthshire, said: “Whenever I meet children as Unicef ambassador, I am amazed
at their eloquent, articulate and passionate views.
“They really have a unique perspective on the world. Many living in other countries have had direct
experience of issues such as poverty, education, HIV and Aids and deserve to have their voices heard.”
Unicef said Star Wars actor McGregor and Benedetti, 17, from West Kilbride in Ayrshire, were perfect
to represent the voice of youth.
A spokeswoman for the international children’s charity added: “The decisions made by the G8 leaders
will directly affect children’s lives all over the world.
“The C8 offers an opportunity for young people to have their opinions and voices heard by G8 leaders
and the rest of the world.”
After meeting, the children will attend the anti-poverty concert at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield on July
6, as the G8 summit gets under way.
The five C8 youngsters from the UK are Jamie Brown, 17, from Dennistoun, Glasgow; Rachel Parker, 15,
from Annan, Dumfries-shire; Laura Calvert, 17, from Bangor, Co Down; Saranda Hajdari, 15, from Liverpool;
and Jon Hudson, 18, from Birmingham.
Source: The Scotsman
Thanks to Marie for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, June 14, 2005 // 01:02 p.m.
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Mini Ewan interview on GMTV
GMTV has
a report on Guys and Dolls' opening night and features a short interview with Ewan and Jane
Krakowski. Click on the link to check it out!
Thanks to Elyse for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, June 13, 2005 // 07:52 a.m.
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Ewan lends support to 21st-century leaders
09 June 2005
Ozzy Osbourne's launched a charity by inviting people to do something rude for peace.
George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Naomi Campbell and hundreds more A-listers have leant their support to 21st
Century Leaders by drawing pictures of themselves and coming up with their own slogan.
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| Artwork by Ewan |
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Ewan's self-portrait |
Proceeds from selling the pictures go to the stars' chosen charities.
Ozzy decided he'd try something a little different:
"So many slogans have been used so I just wrote '**** for peace'."
"I'm not trying to become the heavy metal version of Bob Geldof."
"If you can make people laugh. It's just a stupid thing that I wrote, it's not a call for
a national **** day, it's humour."
Ewan wrote three messages (click to see bigger versions):
  
You will be able to buy plates, mugs, wristbands, and t-shirts from whateverittakes.org.
Source: BBC
News
Thanks to Barbara, Fuumin and Elyse for the finds! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Friday, June 10, 2005 // 06:55 p.m.
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Lap him up
Julian Clary
Monday 13th June 2005
There's something for everyone in the West End these days. A selection of musicals can induce the
euphoria of your choice, be it a show featuring rioting miners, comedy Nazis, Lloyd Webber pastiches
or the more traditional all-singin'-all-dancin' fodder. Guys and Dolls, directed by Michael
Grandage, falls into the last category - of the easy listening and watching variety - but it is compulsive
viewing none the less, if that's your bag.
The plot is no more demanding than an episode of Sergeant Bilko, but that does not matter. We swallow
the boy-meets-girl nonsense because we want to escape to that simple, nostalgic, make-believe world -
but most of all because we want to swallow Ewan McGregor.
His performance is mesmerising - at once brash and sensitive, intelligent and instinctive. In a way,
it seems unfair to pitch a movie star's charisma against run-of-the-mill musical theatre types.
We don't care what his character, Sky Masterson, does or doesn't do; we just long for him to
come back on stage. There are no weak links surrounding him - Jane Krakowski as Miss Adelaide and Jenna
Russell as the Salvation Army lady Sarah Brown are outstanding - but McGregor is poetry in motion. He
goes a bit "Heather Small" when he sings, which is curious, but maybe he's an M People fan.
In the second half, we make do with a brilliant rendition of "Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat" led
by the charming Martyn Ellis as Nicely Nicely Johnson, but we are only being polite. McGregor proves
his real star quality when he reappears, still looking desirable in a Salvation Army uniform. No mean
feat. I know because I've tried.
The joy of his performance, and the quality that endears him most to the audience, is his (seemingly)
total unawareness of his own "otherness". He's busy acting. We are busy drooling and lapping up
the sex appeal. But he is a modest star. He appears to have no idea what we see in him. The stains on
the upholstery will be a mystery to him. The woman behind me whimpered and gasped with ecstasy every
time he took to the stage. If that's not worth the price of a ticket, I don't know what is.
The teenage boy and girl in front of me, on the other hand, wriggled and scratched a lot, and I wondered,
aghast, if the next generation was particularly interested in this quaint Guys and Dolls world, where
real emotions were a distant relative and where a dance routine (albeit brilliantly choreographed in
this case by Rob Ashford) was invariably the solution. The saucy line "You mustn't squeeze the melon 'til
you get the melon home" will mean nothing to chavs heavy-petting at the nearest bus shelter.
That is their loss, I concluded. Culture will evolve as it sees fit, but this particular musical may
just have the combination of wit and snappy songs that guarantees longevity. Then I wondered if the ground-breaking
Billy Elliot will also seem quaint in a few decades' time. Seeing these two shows within a few days
of each other made me appraise my theatrical post-coital feelings. Guys and Dolls loved me and left me,
and it was great while it lasted. Billy Elliot stayed with me, left me stirred and shaken.
Yet Guys and Dolls is a stylish, classy production, whatever anyone says. If you are after an evening's
entertainment, a no-strings fun time, this is the show for you. It's a pleasure provider. All the
acting is admirable, but when McGregor is able to give us even a perfectly timed twinkle of the eye,
we spontaneously applaud the miracle of creativity in the hands of an attractive master.
In this show, you have a top-of-the-range cast, set, costumes (apart from the fur stoles in "Take Back
Your Mink", which look like somebody has taken a Stanley knife to a Jasper Conran bedspread) and lighting
- garnished, what is more, with a film star stretching himself before your very eyes. A night out doesn't
get much better than this.
London's West End has so much to offer at the moment. A few years ago, the most you could hope
for was a glimpse of Mrs Robinson's minge. Now you can see huge stars glowing with real sweat from
their exertions. Don't deny yourself.
Booking on 0870 060 0123
Source: New Stateman |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Thursday, June 9, 2005 // 09:33 p.m.
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New pictures from The Island
Movies Online has
some terrific pictures from The Island like this one:
Thanks to Roxanne for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Thursday, June 9, 2005 // 07:50 a.m.
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Sky's the limit for versatile Ewan McGregor
June 7, 2005
Bill Zwecker/AP
Luck is a lady for the cast of a West End revival of the classic Broadway musical ''Guys and
Dolls,'' as critics have heaped praise on the production that marks film actor Ewan McGregor's
first stage musical.
Light years away from his current big screen role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in ''Star Wars: Episode
III -- Revenge of the Sith,'' McGregor heads the cast of Michael Grandage' London production
as Sky Masterson, the gambling playboy who wins the heart of a missionary.
His next role sounds like an interesting casting choice -- playing four characters, all in the same
film. The as-yet-untitled British comedy will be a period film within a period film.
McGregor will play a 1930s Hollywood star, his film stand-in and both of the 18th century characters
they play in the movie they are shooting.
Got that? Reminds us of something Alec Guinness did in ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' back
in the late 1940s. Maybe McGregor thought about his ''Star Wars'' ''co-star'' when
he agreed to this new project.
Source: Chicago
Sun-Times |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, June 7, 2005 // 07:37 a.m.
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Lady luck turns up a winner
By Paul Taylor
Published : 03 June 2005
The West End is alive with the sound of musicals. One really does feel like performing a Julie Andrews-like
whirl of joy, because these musicals are, for once, the genuine article. Hard on the heels of Billy
Elliot and The Big Life, we now have Michael Grandage's utterly elating revival of Guys
and Dolls at the Piccadilly.
This gifted director has hitherto shown a relish for selecting pieces (Merrily We Roll Along and Grand
Hotel) that are perceived as flawed and then making them work triumphantly. So Frank Loesser's
well-nigh-perfect 1950 classic might seem an ironic choice for him.
But with this co-production between the Donmar Warehouse (of which he's the artistic director)
and the Ambassador Theatre Group, Grandage demonstrates that his touch is just as sure with proven hit
material, and that the methods that have paid dividends for him in the small space of the Donmar (casting
for character more than for singing prowess; uncluttered design that's in the service of drama rather
than decoration, etc) continue to work on the larger canvas of the West End stage.
Guys and Dolls is a "fairy tale of New York", peopled with sidewalk gamblers who, in their hilarious
stilted diction and their elaborate etiquette, could rival in formality the courtiers at Versailles.
Grandage's production pitches perfectly the show's delicious mix of urban knowingness and pastoral
innocence.
Unlike Jerry Zaks's 1992 Broadway revival, he does not patronise the characters by reducing them
to garishly garbed cartoons. His fluent staging of the piece, with witty, concise sets by Christopher
Oram, is wonderfully fresh and unencumbered by flashy false values. He understands, too, that while Guys
and Dolls is the least mushy of all Broadway musicals, it also has more genuine heart. So he's
chosen actors who make us truly care about the two intertwined love stories.
Jane Krakowski (of Ally McBeal fame) is an adenoidal delight as Miss Adelaide, radiating the
incorrigible romantic hopefulness, the touchingly vague aspirations to refinement, and the gabby, exasperated
realism of the Hot Box stripper who has been kept dangling for all of 14 years by Douglas Hodge's
winningly hapless and virtually cross-eyed-with-anxiety Nathan Detroit.
Ewan McGregor plays Sky Masterson, the smoothie who takes on Nathan's bet that he won't be
able to lure Sarah (an excellent Jenna Russell), the strait-laced Salvation Army girl, on a trip to Havana.
McGregor makes up in boyish charm and smiling glamour what he lacks in natural singing skills, though
he sounds a lot better than Marlon Brando did in the movie, and he lets rip with a perfectly placed final
high note in the knockout "Luck Be a Lady" number.
It's an evening rich in show-stoppers. In the Havana nightclub sequence, Rob Ashford's terrific
choreography embroils Sky and the squiffy Sarah in a fiercely funny and sexy feud of erotic jealousy
danced out by two hot-blooded locals.
Martyn Ellis as Nicely Nicely whips the audience into ecstasy and the Salvation Army mission into a
crazily anarchic version of hand-waggling revivalist delirium with his electrifying rendition of "Sit
Down You're Rocking the Boat".
Like those wondrously convenient dice possessed by the gangster Big Jule ("I had the numbers taken off
for luck, but I remember where the spots formerly were"), this production of Guys and Dolls looks
set to be a sure-fire winner.
Booking until 31 March 2006 (0870 060 0123).
Source: The
Independent
Thanks to Ellie for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Saturday, June 4, 2005 // 09:51 p.m.
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Expanded Long Way Round on TV
The Long Way Round headquarters have announced that the series will air in an expanded format
starting July 5 on Sky One in the UK.
No word yet on whether this version will air elsewhere or whether an expanded version on DVD will be
released.
Thanks to Baby Jefer for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Saturday, June 4, 2005 // 12:17 p.m.
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The Herald's review of Guys
and Dolls
June 03 2005
Ewan McGregor strode on to the stage of the Piccadilly Theatre
last night in Michael Grandage's slick and stylish production
of Guys And Dolls and confounded expectations. Raw of appearance,
bonny of voice, this was no film star surviving on his screen
credentials. Maybe McGregor's Sky Masterson is a shade
too bland, too much the boy next door and lacking in the
gangster chic Damian Runyon so admired, but it was still
a stunning performance.
This great musical, Frank Loesser's masterpiece, is
in fine fettle half a century on. It boasts a score to die
for, every song is a classic of its kind – and one of the
wittiest books by Abe Burrows in musical history. But the
evening does not survive on the quality of the show itself
or on the presence of McGregor.
There is a blisteringly funny Nathan Detroit, the crap-game
king of New York from the potato-faced Douglas Hodge and
a steely and tough performance from Jenna Russell who plays
Sarah Brown. Maybe Jane Krakowski is a shade too much a 21st-century
broad to be an authentic Runyan figure – she is fashionably
skinny – but she delivers Miss Adelade's famous numbers
with assured aplomb. As for Martyn Ellis, he gives his all.
As Johnson, Nathan's sidekick, he delivers the show's
best number, Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat.
The toughness of Runyan's world is arguably missing
but that is to quibble. Christopher Oram has created a wonderful
New York, all gleaming lightbulbs, and Rob Ashford's
choreography is inventive, athletic and breathtaking. The
trip to Havana when Sky takes Sarah there on a bet sees McGregor
dance a glorious tango with a leggy lovely called Summer
Strallen, who should go places. As for the male dancers,
their rendering of Luck Be A Lady, the celebrated crap game
in the sewer, is another highlight.
Maybe memories of Richard Eyer's National Theatre production
are not obliterated. It was one of those once-in-a-lifetime
events which, coincidentally, had another Scot as Sky, Ian
Charlton. But Grandage has done a wonderful job with his first
West End musical. He has staged several at the tiny Dunmar,
but this is a different world. And if he hasn't obliterated
memories of the past he has certainly created a production
which deserves to run and run.
McGregor, backed by a superb cast, has come to town, the
audience rose to its feet until the end and he and the rest
may never be allowed to leave again.
Perhaps what marked the evening out as something totally
out of the ordinary was that for once the sound system was
beautifully controlled. Nothing was over-amplified and it
sounded all the time as if they really were singing the songs.
Perry Jardine and Chris Full have done a truly wonderful
job.
This is a five-star musical with a four-star production
and cast, one to enjoy.
Source: The
Herald
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Friday, June 3, 2005 // 12:55
p.m.
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Variety reviews Guys
and Dolls
June 3, 2005
MATT WOLF
The odds are that everyone will have his own favorite moment
in Michael Grandage's loving London revival of "Guys
and Dolls," which looks to resuscitate a Broadway mainstay
for today's generation just as Richard Eyre's legendary
National Theater staging did in 1982 (and again in 1996).
But the evening's most unexpected kick is the dynamic
dance musical wrought from a show known principally for its
book and score. Auds will go in humming any of a half-dozen
cherished Frank Loesser songs and come out knocked sideways
by the footwork: The first-act "Havana" number comes close
to heaven.
The question isn't whether "Moulin Rouge" crooner Ewan
McGregor, playing the sexiest, sweetest Sky Masterson imaginable,
can cut it singing live --- though he does quite capably,
complete with the occasional head voice that holds the note.
Just as crucial is the realization that the boy can move.
Whether sweeping up a Cuban native (the impossibly leggy
Summer Strallen) during that Havana jaunt or joining his
fellow gamblers for an impulsive terpsichorean outpouring
on "Luck Be a Lady," he does his bit to sustain the momentum.
And when the steps get too fancy? McGregor's smart
enough to get out of the way.
Grandage has somewhat tilted the axis of "Guys and Dolls," with
the invaluable assist of Tony winner Rob Ashford, here originating
a West End production for the first time. There hasn't
been a book musical either side of the Atlantic in recent
years this richly danced. The narrative, and Grandage's
handling of it, gently draws affectionate tears, only to
be replaced by the ecstasy of witnessing a company so imaginatively
drilled that the show's fabled Runyonland seems perpetually
ready to take flight.
In "Havana," Ashford sets the company on a steamy yet hilarious
collision course that brings out the feisty good-time gal
in Sister Sarah (Jenna Russell), the missionary who melts
under the attention of Sky, a gambler for whom love emerges
as the greatest crap shoot of all. "Take Back Your Mink" is
reinvented as a bawdy, good-hearted striptease --- even if
the abundance of flesh begs the question of whether Miss
Adelaide (Jane Krakowski) owes her longtime cold less to
prenuptial woes than to on-the-job overexposure.
Below Times Square's thickly accented streets (some,
as might be expected in London, are a bit overeager), the
crapshooters set the pulse racing not once but twice in act
two. They do the same above-ground during a "Sit Down You're
Rockin' the Boat" that turns a prayer meeting of supposed
penitents into a swirl of giddy, reckless motion. Even "Marry
the Man Today" ends with a burst of dance for sudden soulmates
Adelaide and Sarah, providing the perfect button to a song
leading directly to the altar --- the very arc traveled by
many of the Shakespeare comedies that "Guys and Dolls" in
its way resembles.
Classical theater has long understood the power of the hard-won
double wedding, which may be why this musical holds such
enduring appeal for British directors known principally for
plays. What has Grandage carried across from his artistic
home, the Donmar, to his first musical helming gig in the
commercial sphere? The answer is evident from an initial
glimpse of Christopher Oram's witty set, which offers
not the bright, brashly colored New York of Jerry Zaks' 1992
Broadway revival but a glistening vertical cityscape that
pays specific visual homage to the Donmar's famous (and
monochromatic) back wall.
The effect might be thought to dampen a musical of nearly
ceaseless exuberance, but not with a gleaming, milky-colored
moon on hand to make its own scenic leap from Cuba to Manhattan,
shepherding Sky and Sarah toward the romantic destiny due
every guy and doll.
Grandage is first and foremost a director of actors, which
explains why, for all McGregor's charisma, the show
has a wholly observed feel borne out in a curtain call bereft
of solo bows. The smaller roles are all unusually well taken,
from Sevan Stephan's short, squat, very funny Big Jule
(of the "no-spot" dice) to Niall Buggy's Arvide Abernathy,
who scores with a delicate "More I Cannot Wish You." Martyn
Ellis and Cory English make a supremely mirthful double act
as Nicely Nicely Johnson and Benny Southstreet, with Ellis
drawing roars for a "Rockin' the Boat" that, true to
the spirit of the production, doesn't stop the flow
to sell repeated encores.
Among the leads, the one oddity is the wide-eyed Nathan
Detroit of legit veteran Douglas Hodge, a Donmar alum whose
reluctant (if well-sung) groom is out of a cartoon, the facial
mugging with it.
Krakowski, by contrast, doesn't overdo Adelaide's
nasality or reach for ready shtick. Though she may not have
quite the chops that set Faith Prince apart, the Broadway
visitor brings definite heat to the Hot Box, along with an
unyielding ardor that is, finally, very touching.
All McGregor has to do, it seems, is grin, and the entire
house swoons, which makes Russell's clarion-voiced,
sensitively acted Sarah doubly commendable. (After "I'll
Know," it's poignantly clear from her expression that
Sarah isn't at all sure about the ways of Eros.) McGregor's
tenor, in turn, may have its metallic moments, but thesp
delivers where it counts, Sky's emerging heart at one
with a production that traffics not in glitz but truth. And
then, when it starts dancing, whisks you away with it.
Source: Variety (site
requires a subscription)
Thanks to ParisRouge and neemers for the
find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Friday, June 3, 2005 // 07:54
a.m.
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Ewan's a great guy and Nat's
a divine doll
02 June 2005
It was the press night yesterday (Wednesday) and critics
called it "sensual", "funny" and "exhilarating".
Ewan showed off his singing and dancing skills and also
snogged a lot - much to the delight of the women in the audience.
At one point his co-star Jane Krakowski - who's best
known as Elaine in 'Ally McBeal' - pranced around
in just her pants.
She told us that although it was quite nerve-wracking to
do, it was quite liberating once she got used to it and she
enjoyed shocking the UK audience by going a little bit further
than people probably expected.
It went down well though as she got a massive round of applause
for her portrayal of Miss Adelaide - a cheeky showgirl desperate
to settle down.
Barbara Windsor was in the audience cackling away and other
celebs who were spotted were Joan Collins, Lulu and Graham
Norton.
Shaven-headed Natalie Portman was there with a young man
- they were sitting in the front row and were spotted with
their hands on each other's legs.
She was very dressed down in jeans and a jumper, and was
nattering in away in what seemed like Hebrew.
She was the first person to jump up and give her 'Star
Wars' co-star Ewan a standing ovation.
When we asked Ewan how he felt his performance went, we
told him Natalie was in the audience - he was clearly chuffed:
"I didn't know she was in the audience - she's
divine, I hope to see her soon."
"It was wonderful tonight, it was great. Press nights can
often make you really nervous, but we've been running
the play for a couple of weeks and have got a fantastic response
from the previews."
"We've got it to a point now where it's running
really nicely."
"Funnily enough, when there was half an hour to go I was
really dying to get on - I was really up for it."
Source: BBC
Radio 1
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Friday, June 3, 2005 // 07:28
a.m.
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Win West End tickets to see Guys
and Dolls starring Ewan McGregor - exclusively here
at GM.TV
 Broadway
star Jane Krakowski makes her West End debut as 'Miss
Adelaide' alongside Douglas Hodge as 'Nathan Detroit' and
Jenna Russell as 'Sarah Brown' in Guys and Dolls.
They join Ewan McGregor playing 'Sky Masterson' in
Michael Grandage's new Donmar Warehouse production
which has just opened at the Piccadilly Theatre.
 With
music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and a book by Jo Swerling
and Abe Burrows, Guys and Dolls is designed by Christopher
Oram, with choreography by Rob Ashford, musical supervision
by Jae Alexander, lighting by Howard Harrison and sound by
Terry Jardine and Chris Full.
The production is directed by the Donmar's Artistic
Director Michael Grandage and presented by Howard Panter
for the Ambassador Theatre Group and David Ian for Clear
Channel Entertainment, in association with the Donmar's
own production team.
Performance times are Mondays-Saturdays at 7.30pm, with
Wednesday and Saturday matinees at 2.30pm. Tickets, priced
from £20.00-£55.00, are available from the Box Office on
0870 060 0123 and Guys and Dolls is sponsored by American
Airlines.
To celebrate the launch of the new Guys and Dolls West
End production, we have a pair of tickets to watch the first
available performance in August to give away!
For a chance to win, visit the site (link below) and answer
a simple question... Competition ends July 2. Be sure to
read the terms and conditions.
Source: GMTV
Thanks to Georginita for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Thursday, June 2, 2005 // 06:06
a.m.
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McGregor ready for musical debut
Wednesday, 1 June, 2005
 Actor
Ewan McGregor is preparing to make his debut in West End show Guys
and Dolls, his first stage musical.
McGregor, 34, will play gambler Sky Masterson in the revival
of the 1950s musical at London's Piccadilly Theatre.
It marks his return to theatre after a six-year absence,
having last appeared in Little Malcolm and his Struggle
Against the Eunuchs in the capital.
He will appear on Wednesday alongside Ally McBeal star
Jane Krakowski, Douglas Hodge and Jenna Russell.
'Never considered musical'
McGregor previously sang and danced alongside Nicole Kidman
in the film Moulin Rouge and glam rock movie Velvet
Goldmine.
Nevertheless he has taken singing lessons for his latest
role and said he had lost almost 28 lb (13 kg) rehearsing
the musical's demanding dance routines.
McGregor said he was offered the part "out of the blue" by
director Michael Grandage after returning from his 20,000-mile
round-the-world motorcycle trip last year.
"I had never imagined doing a musical on stage, it had never
really crossed my mind, but I am so glad that it has come
up because I have never had a better time, it's fantastic," he
said.
McGregor said performing in a musical was "entirely different" from
starring a movie.
"The actual process of making films is extraordinarily tedious," he
said. "It is very difficult to keep your energy and focus.
Whereas in this, what is wonderful about this is we have
to create it together."
He said he would not compare his Guys and Dolls performance
to that of Marlon Brando, who starred in the big-screen version
of the musical.
"I can assure you that I don't start thinking: 'That's
a bit like Brando, I mustn't do that.' You just
try to find the character and see how it fits in your shoes."
Source: BBC
News
Thanks to Sanne and Marion for the heads
up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June 1, 2005 // 06:00 p.m.
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McGregor to Play Four Roles in
One Film
June 1, 2005
Variety reports that Ewan McGregor has committed to his
next four movie roles, all in a single film - an untitled
British comedy written and to be directed by fellow Scot
Peter Capaldi (Strictly Sinatra).
In the period film within a period film, McGregor will play
a 1930s Hollywood star, his stand-in and both of the 18th-century
characters they play in the movie they're shooting.
Capaldi's multi-layered script deals with an epic film
being shot in the 1930s about the Jacobite rebellion of 1745,
in which Scottish forces loyal to Bonnie Prince Charlie tried
to overthrow their English rulers. When the star goes missing,
the producers trick an unassuming extra into filling his
shoes, with surprising results.
The film is scheduled to shoot in the U.K. early next year.
McGregor can next be seen in Michael Bay's The Island.
Source: Comingsoon.net
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, June 1, 2005 // 06:09
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Bay Admits Island Issues
Michael Bay, director of the upcoming SF action movie The
Island, told SCI FI Wire that there were days he would
come to the set and not know what to shoot because the
sets weren't complete. "Construction was way behind," Bay
told reporters at a special preview screening of 45 minutes
of the as-yet-uncompleted film in Beverly Hills, Calif.,
on May 24. "I would get to the sets and have to shoot inserts
because the set was not built. I would talk to the designer,
who said, 'We ran out of money.' Sometimes you'd
just have to pull it out of your ass and wing it."
Bay and his stars Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou and
Michael Clarke Duncan attended the preview of The Island for
press, DreamWorks officials and guests at the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences theater.
Afterwards, producer Walter F. Parkes said that it was a
good thing Bay was a "director who has the chops to change
his plans at the last minute," given the odd unexpected budget
overrun or delay due to construction snafus. He added that
the movie's production, which took place on an accelerated
schedule to meet a July 22 release date, almost seemed to
be going too well to be true, at least at first. "We went
out at Christmas going, 'God, we can pull this off.
We're under budget and ahead of schedule.'"
Bay interrupted: "And then there was this substantial hole.
... "
"Well, not that substantial," Parks corrected.
The film came to fruition quickly, and Bay said it's
the fastest he's worked on a film since he did The Rock. "I'm
not yet finished with it," Bay said, feigning a protest before
the screening. "I checked with the DGA [Directors Guild of
America] rules to see if there was a way I could prevent
this."
Parks said he originally planned screening the science fiction
film 10 days ago, before this week's headline in the
Los Angeles Times about a breakthrough in cloning suddenly
rendered the film a "fact-based contemporary thriller." When
the film hits theaters in July, Parkes added, "The prints
will be coming out of the lab dripping wet."
In the preview, viewers were introduced to the world of The
Island, a futuristic habitat of concrete corridors
in monstrous towers in which characters played by McGregor,
Johansson and Duncan dwell, thinking they are the last
survivors of a global contamination. They live for the
moment they win a lottery guaranteeing them transport to
a tropical island, the last contamination-free spot on
Earth. But McGregor's character, Lincoln Six-Echo,
makes a series of startling discoveries that call into
question the existence of the island and the very purpose
of their lives.
Bay also screened a high-energy action sequence involving
a freeway chase, crashing cars and trucks and flying motorcycles,
or "wasps," to an appreciative packed theater.
Johansson Beefed Up In Island
Scarlett Johansson, who co-stars with Ewan McGregor in the
futuristic action thriller The Island, told SCI FI
Wire and other reporters that director Michael Bay beefed
up her character and transformed her from a helpless, pregnant
asthmatic into a strong female character. "In the science-fiction
genre they always portray women as the damsel in distress,
and my character was completely different," Johansson told
a news conference on May 25. "I mean, first of all, my name
was Esther. There you go, right there. I was pregnant. I
was a womb. I had horrible asthma and had to stop constantly,
and Ewan had to take care of me, and I almost died."
Instead, Johansson plays a healthy, resourceful young woman
named Jordan Two-Delta opposite McGregor's Lincoln Six-Echo,
both of whom discover that they are clones and wind up on
the run from a top-secret underground compound.
Johansson said that McGregor's part was originally
written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen as a "big macho man, and
I was the helpless young girl." But in a rewrite just before
shooting, the female character's name was changed and
screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (TV's Alias)
changed her role dramatically at Bay's urging. "We were
about to start the shoot, and Michael and I [were] thinking
of ways to give some integrity to my character," Johansson
said. "He was very proactive to make me kick-ass, not make
me some weakling. ... We were both saving each other's
lives. Michael was very respectful of that, making me create
a strong female character, which was great."
For his part, Bay said that he enjoyed working with Johansson,
who turned 20 during filming, but seems much older and wiser.
In separate comments, Bay said that he has dealt with many
divas before and told a story about Johansson's pitching
a rare fit before her sexy scene with McGregor. He said he
was told by the assistant director that the actress wanted
to see him before she came to the set.
"We were ready to do the love scene with Ewan, and I knocked
on her door," Bay recalled. "I said, 'Scarlett?' 'Yes?' 'Can
I come in?' 'Yes. I'm not f--king wearing
this bra, this cheap-ass bra, OK? I'm going naked,
OK?'" Bay had to explain to her that he needed it
to shoot for a PG-13 rating.
Johansson smiled when her director recounted the incident.
In her defense, she said: "Nobody wears a bra when they go
to sleep." The Island opens July 22.
Getting Physical
Scarlett Johansson, star of Michael Bay's upcoming
SF action film The Island, told SCI FI Wire that she
got pretty banged up while taking on the highly physical
role in the film. "I was so sore after my first day of work," Johansson
told reporters at a news conference on May 25. "I think my
muscles were atrophied or something, but I couldn't
run any longer, and that was the first day of a five-month
shoot! I was running so much I thought I was going to die."
Johansson said that her co-star Ewan McGregor wound up black
and blue with bruises after the first day and had "deep gashes" in
his legs. "I didn't feel so bad, because he was in agony," she
recalled.
Johansson and McGregor play clones, or "agnates," who are
pursued by security forces after they escape from a top-secret
underground facility in the near future.
The film also stars Michael Clarke Duncan, who said: "Michael
Bay owes me bigtime for doing this movie." Duncan was only
on the set for two days for a small role, but did it because
he said Bay discovered him and cast him in Armageddon. "I
am running a lot, too, and they shoot these things into my
legs, and they were attached to my calves, and they shrunk
my calves down so badly, and I was sweating," Duncan said.
Bay explained that he intentionally begins his productions
with a strenuous scene to set the pace for the rest of the
shoot. "If you start off with a slow scene, that sets the
pace for the entire film, so I like to start off with a high
energy level," Bay said.
Djimon Hounsou, who plays an implacable security agent in The
Island, said that he took the physical activity required
for the movie all in stride. "We were running, running,
running, and it occurred to me, 'Did anyone read the
script?'" he said. The Island opens July 22.
Source: scifi.com
Thanks to Barbara for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 // 10:17
p.m.
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Pictures from Guys and Dolls
British actor Ewan McGregor (R), playing Sky Masterson,
rehearses with Jenna Russell (L), playing Sarah Brown, for
the forthcoming production of the musical Guys and Dolls
at the Piccadilly Theatre, in London, May 31, 2005.
Actor Ewan McGregor and Zoe Hardman perform during a photocall
for the musical Guys and Dolls, at the Piccadilly Theatre
in London, Tuesday May 31, 2005.
 
Thanks to Roxanne for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, May 31, 2005 // 09:26
p.m.
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New Valiant trailer available
online
Apple.com has
a new trailer for Ewan's upcoming animated film, Valiant.
Click on the link to check it out!
Thanks to Fuumin for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, May 30, 2005 // 08:31
p.m.
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New The Island trailer
online
Sorry about the delay in reporting this, as I am not home
and have to rely on Internet Cafés between sight-seeing in
the UK.
Yahoo
Movies has a new trailer for The Island.
Update: Apple.com has
another trailer available.
Thanks to Paris Rouge and nutbar for the
heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 // 09:35
p.m.
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Guys and Dolls original
cast recording on CD
My friend Marion, who runs A
Man Less Ordinary, had the chance to sit right in front
of Michael Grandage (Guys and Dolls director) at
the Saturday night show. She asked him if there would be
a CD released and he said there would be.
Another friend overheard it might be as early as June 1st,
but that has yet to be confirmed.
Thanks to Marion for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Wednesday, May 25, 2005 // 09:16
p.m.
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Ewan narrated Troy's Story
Troy's Story - The Irresistible Rise Of Troy Bayliss
(779916)
Order by request - Ships in 7-14 days
$AU32.95 (inc GST)
Stock of this item is ordered from the distributor by request.
Click here for more information.
This DVD is formatted for playback on PAL enabled systems
(Australian Standard).
This DVD is an inspirational documentary about Australian
motorcycle sensation Troy Bayliss; the charismatic, laconic
family man who risked it all in his quest to become World
Champion.
Narrated by internationally acclaimed actor and self-confessed
Troy Bayliss fan Ewan McGregor. Troy's Story remains
the definitive expose about a genuine Australian hero!
Source: ezydvd.com.au
Thanks to Noah's Dove for the find! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Sunday, May 22, 2005 // 12:54
p.m.
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Personal Guys and Dolls mini-review
I had the pleasure of attending Friday night's Guys
and Dolls show at London's Piccadilly Theatre
with several other Ewan fans. Meeting people who share
a love of Ewan's work was fantastic!
Ewan is clearly in his element on stage. His singing and
dancing are fantastic, even better than in Moulin Rouge,
and his acting is top-notch. The same can be said for the
rest of the cast. Ewan will no doubt continue doing plays
in the future. |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Sunday, May 22, 2005 // 12:10
p.m.
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Ewan puts the Force behind charity
raffle
Mon 16 May 2005
STAR Wars star Ewan McGregor has donated signed goodies
to a raffle in aid of Children 1st. Tickets on sale at the
Vue Cinema at Greenside Place from Thursday.
Source: The
Scotsman |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 // 08:35
a.m.
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Revenge of the Sith London
Premiere
 |
British actor Ewan McGregor signs
autographs as he arrives for the UK premiere of the
Star Wars
film Revenge of the Sith in London's Leicester
Square May 16, 2005. Fans waited for hours in pouring
rain to catch a glimpse of the stars arriving for
the UK premiere of the final Star Wars film, Revenge
of
the Sith. |
 |
U.S. director George Lucas (R) gestures
as British actor Ewan McGregor looks on during the
U.K. premiere of 'Star Wars - Episode III -
Revenge of the Sith. |
Source: Yahoo
News |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, May 16, 2005 // 04:49
p.m.
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Faster available on DVD
in Australia
ezydvd.com.au is
selling Faster, a motorbike film narrated by Ewan,
on DVD for $AU29.95 (inc GST).
Thanks to Noah's Dove for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, May 16, 2005 // 11:59
a.m.
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Red Carpet Night for Star Wars
Mon 16 May 2005
By Sherna Noah, PA Showbusiness Correspondent
The premiere of the final Star Wars instalment Revenge
of the Sith was taking place tonight.
Director George Lucas and Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan
Kenobi, are expected to attend what will be the biggest premiere
of the year.
Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith is the
eagerly awaited last part of Lucas’s Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker), Christopher Lee (Count
Dooku), Anthony Daniels (C3-PO), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca)
and Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine) are also expected at tonight’s
event in London’s Leicester Square.
There will be a whole day of Star Wars celebrations – beginning
at 6am with a dawn parade of the 501st UK Garrison of Storm
Troopers.
They will open the doors to the world’s first showing of
the entire six-film Star Wars saga.
Fans snapped up tickets for the event within five minutes
of them going on sale.
At 1pm, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra will perform the
first of two special public performances of the Star Wars
score in Leicester Square gardens.
In the afternoon, Lee and Daniels will take part in public
interviews on the stage.
Revenge Of The Sith sees the fall from grace of Anakin
Skywalker, an idealist young Jedi knight who is seduced by
the Dark Side.
The action kicks off during a space battle as Anakin and
Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi race across a galactic battlefield
to rescue Senator Palpatine from the evil Count Dooku.
This month also marks the 28th anniversary of the original Star
Wars film.
Source: The
Scotsman
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Monday, May 16, 2005 // 09:18
a.m.
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Additional Guys and Dolls information
Two additional performances added
Box office: 0870 060 0123
Website: www.theambassadors.com/piccadilly
Ewan's run as Sky Masterson
According to Seetickets.com,
Ewan will only be appearing in performances until 3 December
2005.
Thanks to Kate, Elyse and Ellie for the
heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Sunday, May 15, 2005 // 03:43
p.m.
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Stay release date
We finally have a North American release date for Stay:
October 14, 2005, according to comingsoon.net.
In addition, it has received an R rating, for language and
some disturbing images.
Thanks to ParisRouge for the heads up! |
Posted by Best
of Ewan McGregor on Sunday, May 15, 2005 // 08:54
a.m.
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