Scottish Actors: Star Wars

Showing posts with label Star Wars. Show all posts

Sunday, 21 April 2013

Ewan McGregor and other Scottish links with Star Wars

Disney says a new Star Wars film will appear yearly from 2015. But while the stories might be set in a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars has some interesting connections closer to home.

Star Wars will blast back to the big screen with movies alternating between those expanding the saga and spin-off character-based films.
At first glance the franchise's galaxy populated with Jedi, Wookies, Ewoks and jet pack-propelled bounty hunters seems a long way from Scotland.
But given a closer look, a tartan-tinged Force runs strong through the Star Wars films and comic books.
Some of these connections are well-known.

They include Scots actor Denis Lawson playing rebel fighter pilot Wedge Antilles in the original film trilogy.
Lawson's drama school class-mate, Carnoustie-born Ian McDiarmid, starred as the Empire's powerful emperor in 1983's Return of the Jedi and appeared in the most recent films: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith.

Crieff lad Ewan McGregor - Lawson's nephew - starred as a young Obi Wan Kenobi in those last three movies. And McGregor says he is keen to reprise the role in any of the new flicks.
Talking to Newsbeat entertainment reporter Natalie Jamieson last month, the actor said: "If they needed Obi Wan Kenobi I would rather it was me than someone else, of course."

Another Scot who appeared in The Phantom Menace was Glasgow-born Ray Park, who played Darth Maul, a fierce warrior serving the evil Dark Side.

Read much more at BBC News Highlands & Islands

Sunday, 31 March 2013

Ewan McGregor: more 'Star Wars' spin-off rumours

From Examiner.com:

Rumors of Obi-Wan vs. Darth Maul 'Star Wars' spin-off
Comic Book News reported on March 28 that Disney is developing a “Star Wars” spin-off that would feature Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Maul. This film would be set between “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” and “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.”
Ewan McGregor, who played Obi-Wan in all three “Star Wars” prequels, has previously expressed an interest in returning to the role.

Sunday, 17 February 2013

Ewan McGregor: Broadway aspirations, and 'Star Wars' ideas

Ewan McGregor eyeing Broadway debut

Scottish star Ewan McGregor is seriously considering a stint on the Broadway stage - and he'd love the project to be a musical.

The Star Wars actor showed off his singing skills in the movies Moulin Rouge! and Down With Love and he also hit the stage for a 2005 West End revival of hit show Guys and Dolls, in which he played Sky Masterson, and now he's got his sights set on making his New York debut.
McGregor was quizzed about his theatre aspirations during a question and answer session with fans via Twitter.com, during which he replied, "I'm considering options on Broadway... I'd love to do another musical. There's nothing quite like it on stage or in film."
Source (including photo): Express

'Star Wars' Spin-Offs: Ewan McGregor totally 'Up For' Obi-Wan movie
Prequel actor rolled with the 'good idea' by adding suggestions of his own.
Last week, when the possibility of "Star Wars" spin-offs and standalone films became a reality instead of nerdy conjecture, minds began racing to figure out which characters from the galaxy far, far away might get the call. There were rumors of a Boba Fett film and the adventures of young Han Solo, but Harrison Ford doesn't exactly fit into that black vest anymore.
Many of the actors from the prequel films, however, are thankfully still close enough in age to their characters to allow a standalone movie. And if we're comparing that list with yet uncovered portions the "Star Wars" mythos, Ewan McGregor certainly springs to mind, and, guess what, he's totally up for it.

MTV News sat down with McGregor and his "Jack the Giant Slayer" co-star Stanley Tucci during a press event for the new film, and the former Obi-Wan Kenobi shared his thoughts on a possible spin-off movie.
"I think it's a good idea," McGregor said of getting his own film. "The only bit that I could get away with doing is after the last one I made, 'Episode III,' before Alec Guinness, there's that period where he's in the desert."

Read more, and watch the interview, at MTV

Thursday, 20 May 2010

Ewan McGregor at the 30th anniversary of 'The Empire Strikes Back'

Ewan attended the 30th anniversary screening of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood yesterday. The screening benefited the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Education Outreach at Chicago's Field Museum, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation as part of the Empire Gives Back charity. The screening raised more than $40,000 for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital:

The event marked a rare Star Wars event appearance by Ford, who was joined by fellow big screen saga luminaries Billy Dee Williams (Lando), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), and Ewan McGregor (Obi-Wan). From the animated realm of The Clone Wars, James Arnold Taylor (Obi-Wan), Catherine Taber (Padmé), Matt Lanter (Anakin), Jaime King (Aurra Sing). Cary Silver (producer) and Dave Filoni (supervising director) were in attendance. [StarWars.com via Best of Ewan]

You can also watch a brief red carpet interview with Ewan at about 1:44 here.

Monday, 29 September 2008

The 500 greatest movies of all time

Empire magazine brings us the 500 greatest movies of all time. Personally I think some of the choices are just either bad or very strange (Gremlins anyone?), some of Bogarts best films are not on, though thankfully the great Paul Newman's films show up quite a lot. Anyway here are the movies with Scottish actors they included:

449. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace - Ewan McGregor