16 Ewan McGregor Quotes That Will Make You Look at Him in a Whole New Light

“I’ve never found acting that difficult. If you ask me, it’s all rather easy if you keep it simple. But as soon as you lose that original drive, it’s not fun…The fear of being crap is always what makes you good, I think.”

“I think if you can encourage people to do something, if it is to go out and explore the world and see parts of the world that you might not otherwise see, and appreciate that people’s lives are very different from ours here in Europe and in America, then I think that is a good thing to do. “

"I have to say I am an optimist. I’ve always been built that way. I’m quite a happy person. I can find joy in lots of things. I just am happy. I don’t have to look for it. I don’t have to do things to encourage my sense of optimism. I have it anyway.”

“I’m always interested in playing different people, in different situations…It doesn’t matter to me whether someone is in love with a man or a woman. I find the idea of love and romance interesting. I’m a sucker for it. I like playing someone who’s falling in love because I like the sensation of it. People do extraordinary things when they’re falling in love.”

“I turned 40 in March. But I don’t feel it – you never do. I still want to kick around on BMX bikes! I have to ask my wife: ‘Do I look like a cock, or is this all right, the way I’m dressed?’ Because you don’t want to be ‘that guy’, but you also don’t want to listen to that voice either. I want to wear skinny jeans when I’m in my 70s. Why not? Who cares?”

"I’ve got some lovely, lovely old motorcycles that date back to 1929. There’s about 15 of them, and I’d be quite happy to just stand and look at them all day,” he says wistfully. “I have a very basic mechanical knowledge, and I like tinkering with them. And then I love to ride them, of course. It’s like meditation for me.”

“You also have to take your responsibility as a father seriously. You have to make time to get to know your children, spend afternoons shopping with them and just trying to build that closeness with them, instead of just being a parental figure.

I’ve tried to make sure that my daughters felt that they were each very special to me, and that I’d always make time for them — I think that’s one of the most important things to do as a dad.”

“I did listen to Serial and I loved it. Here’s what I think, I don’t know. It’s possible that he did and it’s possible that he didn’t and that’s why I think he probably shouldn’t be in jail. When it comes down to the court of law I think that’s enough to not have him in jail, if you can’t say that he definitely without a shadow of a doubt murdered her, then he shouldn’t be in jail. How hard is it now for them to pick Serial two? Like, what’s it going to be? The bar is

“I remember, funnily enough, the last time I had a drink. I was sitting with these guys and we’re all talking about how much we love our kids and I thought, “Well, why are we all sitting in a pub? It’s four in the morning. How much do we love our kids? Because tomorrow morning none of us will be any use to them.” And I thought, ‘Fuck it.’ “

“I think they’re quite tricky, I don’t like them very much. Sex scenes are awkward. It’s a very strange and bizarre thing to be doing, it’s not a normal situation. And the actresses get younger and younger and you get worried that they’ll think you might be taking advantage of that. And, also, I find that they’re not very useful, unless it’s Young Adam or The Pillow Book, where they’re more about sex. They’re more about character and story.”

“I really don’t mind if people come up to me. As long as they’re polite about it, I’m happy. I don’t like people who are pushy and sometimes people will come up and tell me that they didn’t like me in something.

I want to say ‘Just don’t bother. If you didn’t like me in something keep it to yourself. Don’t come across the street and put yourself out to tell me I was s—— in something. I don’t want to know’. But people love to do that.”

“I like the fact I get to work on different kinds of projects, and I’m not concerned about if it’s a studio picture or an independent picture. I think [that] leads to quite interesting work and choices. That makes me happy. More of the same please.”

“I appreciate that lovely feeling of being with someone for a really long time… you know each other so well and you’re so comfortable in each other’s company. I get asked what’s the secret to a happy marriage a lot, and there’s no answer to it without trivialising it. You can’t just say ‘if you do this or do that, you’ll have a great marriage’ because it doesn’t work like that. There’s no secret other than to be in love with the woman you’re sharing your life with.â€

“They are generally looking for actors who are going out with other actors. Someone whose life they can document falling apart. That won’t happen to me.”

“My dad saw my full package in The Pillow Book and said ‘I’m glad to see you inherited one of my major attributes!’ ”

“I think the things that make me happy are my family, my work, and my bikes. Those are the things that work for me, so it becomes quite clear. My focus is on those things and therefore I become better in it.”