Ewan McGregor Talks About His Alcoholism

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MrsSpringsteen

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Long before he was battling the forces of evil in Star Wars, Ewan McGregor was battling alcohol addiction, the actor has revealed in a candid interview.

"Originally I was a happy drunk. But later I was miserable because it's a depressant," the Scottish actor, 34, tells Playboy magazine. "I was just ashamed of myself, really."

McGregor, who has two children with his wife Eva Mavrakis, says he was shocked that his coworkers seemed to overlook what was obviously a glaring problem. "None of my directors ever said, 'You know, I'd rather you didn't drink at work.' None of them. And they must have known," he says. "I was reeking of (alcohol)."

The Scottish actor doesn't mention which films he made while drinking too much, but says his habit may have limited his performances. "When you work drunk, you find one way to play a scene and that's it."

McGregor, who played a heroin addict in Trainspotting in 1996, and stars in the upcoming The Island, says he stopped drinking because he was afraid he'd lose all he'd worked for. "I knew I was lucky, and somehow I knew that if I didn't stop, everything would go tits up – my career, my family, my everything."

And despite his rise in fame, McGregor, who has been sober for 4 1/2 years, insists that isn't what propels him to work. "If you chase fame, you're just going to end up miserable and unhappy," he tells Playboy. "I'm not interested in fame, because you'll never be famous enough. … You'll never wake up one day and go, 'I'm f---ing famous, and I'm really happy.'"

Carrying on his message in another medium, McGregor has spoken up in his native Scotland, just as G-8 leaders of the world are gathering to meet there, and is calling for international action to help children afflicted by poverty.

"These eight leaders are going to have at their fingertips the power to make extraordinary changes in the world, truly to make poverty history for these people," McGregor said Sunday at the start of a UNICEF workshop. "Now it's time to hear the voices from the developing world, especially young voices."
 
KhanadaRhodes said:

wait...are you implying it DOESN'T? i knew i was doing something wrong :scratch:

The correct formula is

vitamins + excercise + chockie = joy/end of depression.

Seriously, I'm pleased Ewan has come out and confessed. I hope it helps others with the same affliction. :up:
 
Unfortunately, I've had to deal with alcoholism in my family. And Ewan is right, you can lose just about everything to the bottle. I applaud him for being able to overcome it. :up:
 
daygloeyes2 said:
Unfortunately, I've had to deal with alcoholism in my family. And Ewan is right, you can lose just about everything to the bottle.

me too. I think there's a popular misconception that alcoholism isn't as bad as other addictions because it's not a hardcore drug like meth or something. but an alcoholic's bottom is just as low as any other addict's.

good for him for going into recovery, and for being brave enough to talk about it :up:
 
bammo2 said:


The guy is a fab actor, and he isn't bad in a musical either :up:


Made evident by his great performance in Moulin Rouge.
 
Palace_Hero said:
Ewan is one of the great actors of our time. He is just crying out for some real legendary roles to write him into history as such.

And he was never an alcoholic. Just Scottish.

Palace_Hero, do you understand how what you said could be construed as offensive on about three different levels? First, it's offensive to McGregor himself and to everyone with a drinking problem, assuming that alcoholism is inexorably tied to nationality or culture (it's not). Second, it's offensive to Scottish people who have real drinking problems, as it connects the Scottish nationality with alcoholism (unfairly). Finally, it's offensive to Scottish people in general, as it again connects the Scottish nationality with addictive overconsumption of alcohol.

:down:
 
pax said:


Palace_Hero, do you understand how what you said could be construed as offensive on about three different levels? First, it's offensive to McGregor himself and to everyone with a drinking problem, assuming that alcoholism is inexorably tied to nationality or culture (it's not). Second, it's offensive to Scottish people who have real drinking problems, as it connects the Scottish nationality with alcoholism (unfairly). Finally, it's offensive to Scottish people in general, as it again connects the Scottish nationality with addictive overconsumption of alcohol.

:down:

I agree with what you said.

Here Here!
 
skjuls said:


I missed it on Bravo too.

It's on DVD in the UK but not in the USA

:sad: :sad:

The book is almost is good--I bought it for my sister for Christmas and she loved it. It has all the behind the scenes dirt they couldn't show. :)
 
Palace_Hero said:

And he was never an alcoholic. Just Scottish.

Mean-spirited posts like that have no place here. I know that you may just find that as some light humor, but that statement could be deemed quite offensive by many.
 
Good Lord..I came to this forum to try to escape FYM and it drove me back to FYM :wink:

Is it really necessary to make comments like that in a thread like this? Why can't some people here restrain themselves? :|

Or is it some need to be "different" and get attention?

Just FYI... I'm Irish and I don't drink because of people in my life who do. And they don't drink because they're Irish either, that's not why they have drinking problems.

And I'd appreciate it Palace Hero if you would not continue to post things like that in this thread and get it closed like you did in another thread of mine. This is supposed to be a positive thread.
 
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MrsSpringsteen said:
Good Lord..I came to this forum to try to escape FYM and it drove me back to FYM :wink:

Is it really necessary to make comments like that in a thread like this? Why can't some people here restrain themselves? :|

Or is it some need to be "different" and get attention?

Just FYI... I'm Irish and I don't drink because of people in my life who do. And they don't drink because they're Irish either, that's not why they have drinking problems.

:up:
 
My post was a positive post. It was as someone said 'light hearted'.

We are in the Lemonade Stand, not Free Your Mind. And if I offended someone with 8 words, I don't care. I have no time for unreasonably politically correct people. Political correctness is what tears the world apart.

And lets not mention the fact that no one mentioned the kind words I spoke about Ewan being a great actor.

Narrowmindedness and ignorance is all I encounter here.

I will pray for all of you tonight.
 
Sorry, I don't care that this isn't FYM..you can't say whatever you want on Interference. You might want to, but a little tact goes a long way. It's not political correctness, and just because some people took offense at what you said doesn't mean they're "narrow minded" or "ignorant".

Thanks, I don't need your prayers
 
MrsSpringsteen said:
Sorry, I don't care that this isn't FYM..you can't say whatever you want on Interference. You might want to, but a little tact goes a long way. It's not political correctness, and just because some people took offense at what you said doesn't mean they're "narrow minded" or "ignorant".

Thanks, I don't need your prayers

I will pray anyway.

No really my Grandad is a drunk Scotsman. And to be honest thats the sort of craic you get in Scotland.
 
Hm I'm new here so I don't know if there's already maybe some ill feeling towards Palace_Hero, and should therefore probably stay in my box and shut up, but..

It gave me a chuckle. Would have been more of a chuckle if he (Ewan) happened to be Australian. I'm not trying to stir, but those comments were pretty harsh considering there was clearly no mean spiritedness in the remark. I just reckon the point could've been made a lot more gently, is all. Don't you think? Where is the love?

By the way, kudos to Ewan for overcoming something that some people struggle with their whole lives.
 
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