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time. We almost did Once Upon a Time
together but it didn’t work out. It was
lovely that he came back to me with this.
I just liked it; I thought it was really an
interesting idea—and complicated, like a
lot of his work.
HEMISPHERES: Haywire sort of harkens
back to the classic spy movies.
MCGREGOR: It remindedme of the Bond
films, with the idea of this private soldier/
special agent whose boss turns on her. I
was trying to play the kind of guy who
provides violence for a fee, who puts
people in harm’s way and doesn’t care
who gets hurt as long as hemakes money.
HEMISPHERES: He ends up paying a price,
though. Speaking of which: What’s it like to
get beaten up by a girl?
MCGREGOR: Gina Carano is unbelievable.
I watched her really destroy some stunt
guys. Her usual job [as a world-class
mixed martial arts fighter] is to hit
people, so I think it was hard for her to
get used to not actually hi ing them.
But she ended up doing amazing work.
She was very careful withme. There was
a sequence of three punches we had to
do where I punched with the right and
then with the le and then I swept right,
directly over her head. She was supposed
to duck but didn’t quite, and I hit her
right in the head. She grabbed me and
said, “Are you OK?” She didn’t feel a thing.
I almost broke my finger. Howmany
times do you punch someone in the head
and have them ask you if you’re all right?
HEMISPHERES: I’m not answering that.
You’ve worked with some great directors,
a list that includes Roman Polanski, Baz
Luhrmann, Danny Boyle and Woody Allen.
Not a bad run you’ve had.
MCGREGOR: Sometimes when you’re on
the set you have to pinch yourself. You
look across andWoody Allen is si ing
there giving you nods. Or, like you said,
Polanski. It’s incredible. I love it.
HEMISPHERES: Do they have anything in
common, the great ones you’ve worked for?
MCGREGOR: I think they have a vision.
A lot of directors for hire canmake films
for studios, and make films the way
other people want them to be made. The
great ones can’t do that. They can only
make the film that they want to make.
HEMISPHERES: Are you finally taking a
break now?
MCGREGOR: I’ve got some publicity to
do, but I’m at home withmy family. It’s
nice. I get a chance to be at home and
ride my motorbikes.
HEMISPHERES: Which bike is currently
your favorite?
MCGREGOR: Probably the three early-
’70s Moto Guzzis are the ones I ride the
most. They’re sort of old and industrial.
A lot of people don’t like them, but I
really do. I have one that looks like it’s
just been pulled out of a river—it looks
terrible, but actually it can beat most
people away from the lights. I love riding
old bikes because it’s satisfying keeping
them going, and you can be nostalgic
about who might have ridden them
before you.
HEMISPHERES: Let’s talk a little bit about
how you got started as an actor. If your
uncle Denis Lawson hadn’t been in the
business, you might not have ever left
your hometown.
MCGREGOR: My Uncle Denis—I recently
worked with him in this film Perfect
Sense that’s coming out. It’s the first time
I’ve go en to act with him. I grew up
watching him. He’s my real inspiration,
and I can absolutely see his acting in
mine. Sometimes I’ll call himup and say,
“I just sawme doing you in a movie!”
HEMISPHERES: And your parents were fine
with your quitting school and following in
his footsteps?
MCGREGOR: Yeah, I was 16 when I le ,
and I was working in the Perth Reper-
tory Theatre a week later. I was one of
the stage crew pu ing up the sets, but
they would give me li le walk-on parts.
I was suddenly working somewhere
that embodied all my dreams and all
my hopes, working with professional
actors and being part of the magic. It was
great. It was like coming home for me. I
thought it was where I belonged.
HEMISPHERES:Not to be reductionist about
it, but you’re especially well known for a
couple of things: one, your willingness to
disrobe for roles, beginning with Trainspot-
ting, and two, the fact that you don’t drink.
MCGREGOR: I’ve never believed that you
need to live a chaotic life in order to be
a great actor. I used to live that kind of
life, and I was good at my job, but I just
sort of scraped by. Now, I feel like I’ve
got more control over it, more choice.
But you’re right. Most of the stories now
boil down to the fact that I don’t drink
and the suggestion that I’mnaked all the
time. I’m the naked sober guy.
HEMISPHERES: I’ve read that you’re willing
to watch your films but you hate watching
or reading your interviews. Is that true?
MCGREGOR: Yes, I find it really embar-
rassing. I was walking down the street
in London last week and there’s a maga-
zine that the homeless people sell called
The Big Issue, and on the front cover it
said, “Ewan Tells Us How Fate Changed
His Life.” I had forgo en I even did that
interview. It’s embarrassing, the idea
that I’m on this magazine cover telling
the world how fate changed my life.
But I love being in the movies, I’ve
wanted to be in the movies since I was
a kid, and there’s still a part of me that
looks up at the big screen and says,
“Wow, I’m in that movie—that’s amaz-
ing!” I still get a buzz out of it.
DAVID CARR, who covers media and culture
for the New York Times, prefers vintage bikes
with pedals.
“You don’t need to live a chaotic life to be a
great actor. I used to live that kind of life,
but I just sort of scraped by. Now, I feel
like I’ve got more control, more choice.”
126 JANUARY 2012 • HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
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THE HEMI Q&A: EwanMcGregor
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