Sunday, February 7, 2016

Ewan McGregor got into drama because of my PINK FLARES: Denis Lawson reveals how his famous nephew got the acting bug

Daily Mail



Ewan and Denis

Actor Denis Lawson has revealed it wasn’t his acting ability that inspired his nephew Ewan McGregor into drama but his 1970s trousers.

The Local Hero star – who returns to our screens this week in the final series of crime drama New Tricks – accepts his influence helped his nephew into acting but fears it was more to do with his dress sense than his abilities.

Denis, who grew up in Crieff with Ewan’s mum Carol, said: “When I was a young actor and working in London, I would pop home to see my sister and Ewan would always be intrigued about what I’d been doing.

“I think he found my shoulder-length hair and pink, flared jeans glamorous, which they were anything but.”

Ewan, who plays Jesus in his latest movie Last Days in The Desert, has always credited his uncle with teaching him how to act.

Denis, 67, said: “Ewan was auditioning to get into acting college and asked me for advice as he wasn’t connecting with the piece he was learning.

“I told him to think about a time he’d been beaten up in Glasgow and how he felt when the guy had punched him for no reason.

“He then made the connection between emotion and the words he was saying, which is what acting is. He got into college and the rest is history.”

Trainspotting star Ewen is set to make his directorial debut with an adaption of Philip Roth’s novel American Pastoral and Denis believes he will make a great director.

Denis said: “What a brilliant project to be involved in and he’ll make a good job of it. I’m very excited for Ewan.

“He has built up a tremendous amount of experience and the timing is just right. The film is in safe hands.”

Denis and Ewan have worked together several times on stage and on film, most recently when they starred in Perfect Sense.

Although they both appeared in Star Wars – Denis as X-Wing pilot Wedge Antilles and Ewan as a young Obi-Wan Kenobi – only Ewan is in the new trilogy.

Denis said: “I was approached by Disney to reprise my role but I wasn’t interested. The movies are sure to be brilliant but I don’t want to be in them. I’ve spent the past 20 years
talking about the last movies and I’m bored with it. I don’t want to spend the next 20 talking about Star Wars.”

Denis and Ewan have shared a lot, including passionate scenes with the same actress – Kathleen McDermott.

The flame-haired beauty, who puckered up to McGregor while
auditioning for Young Adam and smooched with his uncle when she starred in New Tricks, says they are both equally good kissers.

Denis, who plays retired Glasgow detective Steve McAndrew in the police drama, said: “I suppose I have to take that as a compliment.”

No comments:

Post a Comment

News - Comedian confirms return to Hastings for 2019 pantomime

Hasting and St. Leonard Observer 20/06/2019 Comedian confirms return to Hastings for 2019 pantomime Popular comedian Ben Watson will re...