Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi
Total Film June 2002
By Bruno Lester

As comfortable playing scraggy Scots smack addicts as he is beardy Guinness-a-like Jedi Knights, the 31-year-old actor swears he hasn't abandoned his low-budget roots yet…

What was it like playing Obi-Wan for the second time?

I had less to worry about this time around, so I could concentrate more on the job at hand. I could enjoy the experience more. Did you spend a lot of time in combat training for this movie? I worked really, really hard on my fighting. When you're doing fights like these, you can't think about what comes next. You're so connected with your opponent that it just flows. I hate myself for saying this, but it's the nearest thing to the Force that you could imagine!

Are you a naturally athletic person, then?

In my personal life, not really. But I'll do anything in front of a camera.

Don't you ever feel pressured to live up to the fans' expectations?

I never worry about how I'm perceived on film or off. I'm not going to give up drinking, smoking, swearing or racing my motorbikes just because it might not make me a good role model for Star Wars fans. We Scottish are a happy, emotional people. We believe in life-not just existing.

What do the fans typically ask for when they meet you?

They come up with posters to sigh. They want me to write: "May the Force be with you," as well as my name. I think it's quite batty."

Do you feel you've crossed over now from smaller movies to blockbusters?

Well, I used to make small films and bang on a lot about how disgusting it is that massive amounts of money are spent on big movies, and then I took a part in The Phantom Menace. But since then I've been in Moulin Rouge and Black Hawk Down and now I'm about to make some smaller films again. At the moment I'm able to do big and small pictures, and I don't care as long as they're good films. I'm only interested in making good films and working with good people. To do crap event pictures for a lot of money…I'd never taint my soul with crap.