Ewan McGregor: Happy to wake up and not go to work

There was a time when "Star Wars" star Ewan McGregor got uncomfortable when he had no project in his hands, but not anymore. The actor says he has gotten better at not working and staying at home and living a "normal life".


"I live a normal and good life, and I am getting better at it," McGregor told IANS when asked how important it was for him to detach from the industry.

"As I get older, I get much better at working. I still throw myself at work 100 per cent. I love being an actor, creating things and artists ... I love it. But now I'm much better at not working when I have stopped working on a project. I'm also much better at being home now and I'm very happy to wake up not having to go to work now, whereas before I was less comfortable when I wasn't working," he added.

McGregor has made a name by working in mainstream, musical as well as independent cinema. He is known for "Trainspotting", the "Star Wars" movies, "Moulin Rouge!", "Angels And Demons", "The Ghost Writer", "Beauty And The Beast" and "Christopher Robin".

He will soon return to the "Star Wars" universe as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in an yet-untitled series for the upcoming Disney+ streaming service. He played the character in the three "Star Wars" prequels -- "The Phantom Menace", "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith".

The actor is back on the big screen as Danny Torrance in "Doctor Sleep", the next chapter in the horror classic "The Shining". Warner Bros. released the film in India on November 8.

"Doctor Sleep" takes forward the story of Danny Torrance, 40 years after his stay at the Overlook Hotel in "The Shining". It is directed by Mike Flanagan, from his own screenplay based upon the novel by Stephen King.

Talking about his role, McGregor said: "When we find him as an adult, he is at his lowest, at rock bottom. He's an alcoholic, and he is drinking to try and suppress his memories of what happened in Overlook Hotel, but also to try and suppress his psychic abilities. He's trying not to live in that area of his life. It was fun to play somebody who was at his lowest ebb. I had Stanley Kubrick's movie as my backstory, but also Stephen King's writing from ‘The Shining' novel about Danny, his mom and the story with his dad. And it was a lot of amazing backstory for the actor to have at his disposal."

Does he fancy another sequel in the series?

"I don't think so. I mean, I don't think there's any talk of (another sequel). We didn't enter into it with a franchise idea," he said.

(IANS)