Ewan McGregor Claims He's 'Happier' After Romance With Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Ewan McGregor has a lot to be grateful for.
The Star Wars actor, 48, opened about his career and the opportunities presented to him in a new feature by Men's Journal.
The actor, who has been blessed with many acting gigs over the years, recalled moments following his role in Trainspotting when he shared a London flat with Jude Law and his co-star Johnny Lee Miller.
At the time, he was young, hot and impulsive, often drinking alcohol or making memorable moments in the press, like the time he called David Letterman "arrogant and interesting."
Now, he's on his 20th year of sobriety, an experience he was able to channel in his recent film, Doctor's Sleep.
The film, based off a Stephen King book, continues after the Overlook Hotel was demolished. It follows as his character Danny Torrance, a drunk alcoholic, becomes sober after he encountered a woman with a beer gut and a toddler.
“I’ve been sober for years,” McGregor says. “This was the first time I got to explore that in my work. What intrigued me was the fact that when we meet Dan, he’s like a rock-bottom alcoholic, and then finds recovery.”
“The rock bottom’s neither here nor there, really,” he said, tapping into his memories. “It also wasn’t as hectic as some other people’s,but it’s not a competition. I was just not able to manage all the different strands of my life—my professional life, my family life, and my drinking life. So something had to go.”
He went on, admitting he enjoyed filming, “But it was fun to go back and play some real fucked-up drunk scenes. It was quite funny. But it was all still frighteningly alive in me, you know, even after 20 years.”
In the feature piece, the author Mickey Rapkin, noted McGregor seemed "noticeably lighter," than their last encounter five years back, attributing the actor's happiness to his Fargo co-star, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who he was first spotted with two years ago.
“I am better,” he confirmed. “I am happier. I think that’s true.”
McGregor’s life experiences, he shared, have helped in some shape in way or another with his self-discovery.
“It’s a test of who you are,” he told Men’s Journal. “But it’s also about leaving something behind. Like, I just sort of imagine dropping these emotional baggages off as I ride along.”
McGregor added, “These emotional baggages that I’ve been carrying around for years. I’ll leave a little pile of them, like breadcrumbs from South America to here.”
For more from the interview, pick up the new issue of Men's Journal.