Got this little preview of the Ewan McGregor interview that is airing today in the UK. It came in complements of Corwin of Amber a trusty friend of ours...
First among prequels CHAT-SHOW supremo Michael Parkinson may well have his work cut out persuading star guest Ewan McGregor to talk about filming the three forthcoming Star Wars prequels.
"I'm sworn to secrecy!" says the atypically tight-lipped Scot.
Ewan has already finished filming Episode 1: The Balance Of The Force - but producer, writer and director George Lucas is insisting on the utmost secrecy from everyone involved until the film's release in 1999.
Ewan plays young Ben Obi-Wan Kenobi - the character played by Alec Guinness in the original Star Wars film - alongside Liam Neeson as the young Darth Vadar.
'We started making the light-sabre noises and soon felt a bit silly'
"The first time Liam and I had to do any light-sabre work, we started making the light-sabre noises and soon felt a bit silly," chuckles Ewan. "We looked at each other and said, 'We're professional actors here - we can't be doing this!'" Ewan remembers going to see the first Star Wars film 20 years ago. His excitement was heightened by the fact that his uncle, Denis Lawson, acted in the film.
"Denis played X-wing fighter pilot Wedge Antilles," Ewan recalls. "I remember how excited I was going to see the first film. I was about six, and the whole thing just blew my hair back. What's great is that my daughter Clara will be about the same age by the time this batch comes out."
The backlog of Ewan's films waiting release are mostly low and medium budget. They include Velvet Goldmine with Eddie Izzard, The Serpent's Kiss with Greta Scacchi, and Rogue Trader about Nick Leeson. But will the Star Wars films see the man who came to fame in low-budget Britgrit triumphs Shallow Grave and Trainspotting moving full-time to big-budget Hollywood features?
"I don't like big American productions," Ewan says. "The Star Wars movies are different. I don't see them in the same way I see something like Independence Day. I would shoot myself in the head before I was in a film like that. I think it's disgraceful. Actors appearing in a film like that should have their Equity cards removed."
