Ewan: I'm Always Up for a Hollywood Strip

Ewan: I'm Always Up for a Hollywood Strip; McGregor's Loving His New Life in LA but One Thing Never Changes... He wants to Get His Kit Off!

By Eleonor Mckay

Of all Hollywood's top stars Ewan McGregor is the one who has left nothing to the imagination.

In films such as Trainspotting, Young Adam, Velvet Goldmine and Pillow Book the 38-year-old Scot has exposed himself more than any other current worldwide name.

And he admits he's up for it again.

"Performing nude in a film is for me the most natural thing to do," he shrugs without a shadow of embarrassment. "It's like driving a car. I would do it again if I was asked."

Currently filming The Last Word with Bond girl Eva Green in Scotland, it's his first time filming on home soil sinceYoung Adam in 2003.

The Crieff-born star has lived in London since the late Eighties when he moved down to study at drama school, but headed for Los Angeles last year with wife Ève and his three daughters Clara, Esther and adopted Jamiyan.

And Ewan freely admits he doesn't pine for Scotland.

"I haven't lived in Scotland since 1988," he says. "I've learned how to miss Scotland. I don't miss anything at the moment, I'm just enjoying the change.

"I only ever lived in London. I spent most of my time travelling around anyway so it's much more about where my family are.

"I realised that we don't have to live anywhere, we can live wherever we like.

"I have had a house in LA for quite a long time so I decided to go and live in it for a while. It's good."

Being in LA has also perked up Ewan's career, which some critics claimed was looking shaky after he played Obi-Wan Kenobi in the three Star Wars prequels.

Films like Trainspotting, Shallow Grave and Little Voice, as well as a cameo role in ER in 1997, made him an indie favourite. But The Phantom Menace in 1999, Attack of the Clones in 2002 and Revenge of the Sith in 2005 seemed to take his attention with only Moulin Rouge! in 2001 a highlight of that time.

And while Harrison Ford became a massive start thanks to the first three Star Wars, they didn't do the same for Ewan as the prequels and much of his acting was critically panned.

Films such as Eye of the Beholder, Down with Love, The Island, Stormbreaker, Miss Potter, Stay and Cassandra's Dream either bombed or just didn't have the spark fans loved in Ewan's early movies.

Suddenly though he's back. In May this year he had a huge role alongside Tom Hanks in Angels & Demons, which will be followed next month by two more big movies.

First he stars with George Clooney in paranormal comedy The Men Who Stare at Goats, which got its London premiere last night. It hits cinemas on November 6. The following week sees the release of Amelia, in which he stars alongside Hilary Swank. She plays the female adventurer Amelia Earhart while he is her lover, Gore Vidal. And although he hasn't got a British release yet he also plays the gay lover of Jim Carrey in I Love You Phillip Morris.

If Ewan was ever worried about the film choices he was making he isn't showing it now.

In black jeans, dusty black motorcycle boots, two white long- sleeve T-shirts in layers under a black jacket, Ewan, who quit booze in 2001, seems relaxed with other journalists reckoning he is more easy going than in previous years.

It's been 13 years since Trainspotting made Ewan the hottest actor in Britain and put Scotland on the movie making-map.

"That film was hugely important for me," Ewan agrees. "It was important in my career but mainly important in Britain and for British films. The mid-Nineties were a real high point - Oasis, Blur, Trainspotting. It was a great time to be young and striking out to do your first work."

And while it would now be difficult to put Ewan in a room and point to someone who was more famous, he claims he still gets star struck.

He says: "The last time I remember being gob-smacked was when I met (Pink Floyd's) David Gilmour. I didn't really know what to say.

"I remember standing next to him at a party our kids were at and I wanted to tell him how much his music had meant to me, but I couldn't find the words.

"Then I met him again after I saw them playing at the Albert Hall and I was able to put my words together and tell him."

Trainspotting was the second collaboration with director Danny Boyle who gave him his film break in 1994's Shallow Grave. They went on to make A Life Less Ordinary in 1997 before Danny dropped Ewan in favour of Leonardo DiCaprio for The Beach.

DiCaprio was the world's biggest actor at the time thanks to Titanic but Danny's choice created a feud between the old friends and they only started building bridges in June this year when he and Danny, now an Oscar-winner withSlumdog Millionaire, met at the Shanghai film festival.

"I loved working with Danny, I've never felt closer to a director and we don't have a relationship anymore, which is quite sad, but I savour what we did have," Ewan says.

"Shallow Grave was a really important film in Britain and then the follow-up, Trainspotting, was just off the charts."

Ewan looks back at Shallow Grave fondly, even though they filmed it in a freezing warehouse and he and co-star Christopher Eccleston had to film the scenes in just T-shirts and jeans while the crew were in hats and scarves.

Grinning he adds: "I do miss that long hair. I will grow it longer one day. I just keep cutting it for films."

A newly-revived Hollywood player, Ewan may not be showing the grittier acting side he displayed junkie Renton inTrainspotting and bisexual rocker Curt Wild in Velvet Goldmine, but his motorbike travel shows add some roll to the rock.

Long Way Round took Ewan and his pal Charley Boorman 19,000 miles from London to New York in 2004, travelling eastwards through Europe and Asia.

Then two years ago in Long Way Down he drove from John O'Groats to South Africa.

While Charley is still on his bike, Ewan reveals he's curbed the travelling for a while.

"We might do another one, but not for a little while I think," he says.

Well, the man is busy.