Wednesday, March 31, 2021

5 Off My Head: 50 Off Ewan


Last night I was watching the screener of a movie that's out this upcoming weekend which co-stars Jonny Lee Miller, and it only took about five seconds upon seeing him for my brain to trail off to Trainspotting and his friendship with Ewan McGregor -- speaking of yelling "Make out!" at the screen! I might have strained my larynx the first time I saw those two sitting side by side on a couch. But then that's the sort of energy that Ewan's brought to film-screens opposite every single person, place, and thing, for nearly 30 straight years, isn't it? Well today's his 50th birthday (I know, how even) and so we're gonna celebrate some of those performances now...

My 5 Favorite Ewan Performances

Renton, Trainspotting (1996)
"You see if you ask me we're heterosexual by default, not by decision. It's just a question of who you fancy. It's all about aesthetics and it's fuck all to do with morality."
Curt Wild, Velvet Goldmine (1998)
"The world is changed because you are made of 
ivory and gold. The curves of your lips rewrite history."
Christian, Moulin Rouge! (2001)
"... What I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes
I've ever seen"
Phillip Morris, I Love You, Phillip Morris (2009)
"Enough romance. Let's fuck!"
Oliver, Beginners (2010)
"Rabbit. What is real? Does it hurt? Horse. Sometimes Rabbit. Does it happen all at once Horse. It takes a long time. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes dropped out and you get a loose in the joints. But these things don't matter at all, because you are Real and you can't be ugly except to people who don't understand."
Runners-up: The Ghost Writer, The Impossible, 
Fargo, Shallow Grave, Down With Love

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What are your favorite Ewan performances?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

a handsome, sexy, charming, and talented ginger with a girthy unit. What's not to like?

Shawny said...

Obi Wan 2.0...

Jason Adams said...

I do actually like him as Obi-Wan, and I almost added that to the runners-up pile -- I'm excited he's doing that new series!

Anonymous said...

that top pic looks nothing like him!

udryx said...

If not for the unfortunate hair, I adore him and first fell in love with him in A Life Less Ordinary.

Matty said...

I don't think I've told this story on here before (I know I've done it elsewhere on the internet), but when I first watched Velvet Goldmine back in 2019, I was boiling a tea kettle partway into it and, of course, when Ewan bent over and showed hole, THAT'S when my tea boiled and whistled. Ewan is clearly transcendant.

And as for what my favorite role of his is, I gotta go with Dan(ny) Torrance in Doctor Sleep. Ray Stussy from Fargo is a close second.

joel65913 said...

I like him very much but not always the films he appears in. But I can pull together five I did enjoy.

Brassed Off
The Ghost Writer
Beginners
Big Fish
Cassandra's Dream

Critifur said...

@udryx - Are you being facetious? I only wish my hair was a lovely as his!

Unknown said...

"Young Adam" and "Pillow Book" are two of Ewan's sexiest and most underrated performances. In "Young Adam," he plays an unlikable character and more than holds his own with Tilda. In "Pillow Book," he gives a leading man performance in a very indie film. Yes, he shows his considerable goods in both, but he also shows why he has remained one of the big screen's most intriguing leading men.

Scot said...

I've seen him in soooo many different roles but I think Trainspotting and Our Kind of Traitor are my favorite movies that I've seen him in. His performance in Our Kind of Traitor is so understated yet powerful. He is definitely a versatile actor!