Ewan McGregor has revealed the “rude” criticism he once received about his acting career from Terry Gilliam.
In 2010, the Obi-Wan Kenobi star was approached by the director to star in his film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which ultimately never reached production.
Now, over a decade later, McGregor has told GQ how Gilliam insulted his acting career right to his face.
Although he found the director’s comments to be rude, McGregor admitted that it’s rare to be challenged and that his words have stuck with him ever since.
Quoting Gilliam, he said: “‘What the fuck have you been doing all this time? You’ve been underplaying everything. What happened to the guy in Trainspotting? What happened to that guy?!’ It was quite rude. It’s rare that somebody challenges you. But it stuck with me.”
McGregor’s latest project sees him reprise his role as Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi in the latest Star Wars-based Disney+ series, which today (June 22) released the final episode of its first season.
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Although it’s always been billed as a limited series, there are now rumours circulating that a second season could be on the cards, with McGregor keen to return to the character once again.
“It was made as a one-off limited series,” the actor told Entertainment Weekly. “And in a way, it does do what I wanted it to do in terms of bridging a story between 3 and 4 and bringing me closer to Alec Guinness’ Obi-Wan in A New Hope. And so, for sure, that’s true.” He added: “Yeah, I would like to make another one.”
He reiterated that stance in a recent interview with the Radio Times, saying: “I hope it’s not the last time I play him. I hope I do it again. I’d like to do it again.
He added: “I mean I had such a great time doing this, I’m sure we can think of a few more stories before I turn into Alec Guinness. Don’t you think?”