A lIFE lESS ORDINARY
After the press conference, McGregor tells me how he got the better of an American journalist digging for dirt on Diaz. ‘He was really pushing for stuff. Especially in New York, all they want is that sensational line, a soundbite. But all I said was, “Oh she’s great" and everything. And then his tape ran out, so I looked at him and said, “And that was when I fucked her.” He scrambled to put his tape back on, but he’d missed it. Ha ha ha.’
Oh yes, McGregor has fun with his work. He’d like a bit of time off, he says, but he’s just a boy who can’t say no. You get the impression that even if the film-going public hadn’t instantly taken him to heart, he’d have worn them down with the sheer volume of his output.
Still to be released are his first American film, Nightwatch, in which he plays a mortuary attendant suspected of murder, and a trawl through the 70s glam rock world of Velvet Goldmine. He’s already in Scarborough spending four weeks on The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice, then it’s Rogue Trader (based on the Nick Leeson stockmarket scandal), then to America for a serial killer shocker Eye Of The Beholder. Then maybe a break.
His most talked-about film - which won’t be realised until 1999 — is Star Wars: Episode One. In it he plays the young Obi-Wan Kenobi, and much of his research has been spent studying the films of Alec Guinness (who played the elderly Jedi in the classic trilogy).
'I'd do anything for Danny Boyle - paint my arse blue and run round naked in Central Park if he wanted me t0: Ewan McGregor
‘I did watch quite a lot of his early stuff,’ McGregor admits, ‘but more important was watching him in Star Wars. I didn’t want to do an impersonation of him, but you had to be able to see that I would become him. I just used his voice, really, and some looks that I thought might work here and there.’
When the interview ends, it’s interrupted in the best fashion. The door opens, and in toddles little Clara, followed by mum Eve. ‘Papa, papa,’ his daughter calls, already bilingual and not even two years old. Despite McGregor’s travelling around, the family keep together. Eve has a credit as art department associate (her original career) on A Life Less Ordinary, and she is adapting a Spanish murder mystery novel into English.
‘If she’s writing, she can write anywhere we are in the world,’ McGregor explains. ‘She’s not about to give up on herself, know what I mean? I wouldn’t want her to anyway.’
For now, the film world is pushed aside as McGregor switches to daddy duties, tickling tummies and hiding behind the couch. Those American journalists can dig for all the dirt and soundbites that they want, but these are the only two women in Ewan McGregor’s life.
A Life Less Ordinary goes on general release on Fri 24 Oct. See review on page 24 and competition on page 13.
TI-IE FILMS OF THE FILMS OF SWAN MCGREGOR CAMERON DIAZ Being Human (93) The Mask (94) Shallow Grave (94) The Last Supper (95) Blue Juice (95) She's The One (96)
The Pillow Book (96) Trainspotting (96) Emma (96)
Brassed Off (96)
A Life Less Ordinary (97)
TO BE RELEASED:
The Serpent's Kiss (97) Nightwatch (97)
Velvet Goldmine (98) Star Wars: Episode 1 (99)
IN PRE-PRODUCT ION: The Rise And Fall Of Little Voice (98)
Rogue Trader (98)
Eye Of The Beholder (99)
Feeling Minnesota (96) Keys To Tulsa (97)
Head Above Water (97) My Best Friend's Wedding (97)
A Life Less Ordinary (97)
TO BE RELEASED: Very Bad Things (98)
Cameron Diaz and Keanu Reeves in Feeling Minnesota
A Lifeless Ordinary gets the comic treatment in 2000 AD’s adaptation of the movie. Words: Scott Montgomery
TOP COMIC 2000AD is running a ground-breaking eight-part serialisation of A Life Less Ordinary, which came about when the Hodge/Boyle/Macdonald trium- virate approached the weekly title last June.
’They were actively pursuing 3 comics adaptation,‘ confirms editor David BishOp. ’So we thought about it for about five seconds and went "cool". The film has a strong fantasy element and a contemporary setting so it fits in with the kind of stories we’re currently publishing.’
This isn’t just a straightforward copy of the movie with speech bubbles. ’The comic strip actually features quite a bit of material that didn’t make it to the final cut of the film,’ says Bishop. ’lt's an adaptation of the actual shooting script they took to Utah last year.
’It works both ways, though. For example, there's a long karaoke scene slap in the middle of the film. How do you do that in a comic? It would have been madness to attempt it. It meant we could play up other aspects of the story.’
The film’s producers have had approval on the script,
to Bishop, they are pleased with the results.
’They were very easy to work with and open to ideas, probably because they started off small, independent and British,’ says Bishop. ’None of the Hollywood. mentality. Andrew Macdonald is one of the most accessible people in the world. It’s been a real departure for them and they seem very happy.’
The weekly serialisation of A Life Less Ordinary in 2000AD runs until 18 Nov. It will be collected in a separate publication. available next spring.
including artist Steve Yeowell's pencil work. According -
DZIVE M026 / CAREFULLY.
ripped for ctin
Double vision: a scene from A Life Less Ordinary
and an early draft of the 2000AD comic strip
10 THE UST 24 Oct—6 Nov 1997