Blockbuster action films require an “endurance” because of their “slow” production process, according to Ewan McGregor, speaking at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival today (KVIFF, July 2).
McGregor is attending the festival to accept the honorary President’s Award, and present screenings of Emma Westenberg’s You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, in which he stars alongside his daughter, the film’s co-writer and producer Clara McGregor.
Asked about moving between small independent features and big studio projects, McGregor said, “If you’re working on an action sequence, it’s [made in] tiny moments. When you’ve got a camera following you around for three minutes [on a smaller film], it’s easier to lose yourself in it.
“Some of the bigger action-type films are slow; it’s an exercise in endurance to keep your performance and your acting where you want it to be. I’m still always trying to find this feeling in my work, I want it to feel real and truthful.”
Having started his career acting in independent hits for director Danny Boyle including Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, McGregor took on the role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in three Star Wars films from 1999 to 2005. Last year he returned to the role for six-episode Disney+ miniseries Obi-Wan Kenobi.
Moustache
McGregor is currently shooting A Gentleman In Moscow, a series adaptation of Amor Towles’ 2016 novel, in which he plays Count Rostov, a fictional nobleman banished to an attic hotel room after the Russian Revolution.
The Paramount+ series has been shooting in Manchester since the beginning of February. “It’s been a long haul, we’ve got another month to go,” said the actor. Currently sporting a thick moustache for the role, McGregor said it has already been trimmed down from the initial version. “This is my older, smaller moustache,” said the actor. “At the beginning [Rostov] has got a big, monster, curly one – you’re seeing the better side of it.”
You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, a SXSW world premiere in March this year, tells the story of a father taking his estranged daughter on a road trip in an effort to get her out of trouble.
It is a debut feature for Dutch director Westenberg, who revealed she is already hopeful to go into production soon on her next film – an adaptation of a book about Julie D’Aubigny, a real-life opera singer in 17th-century France who was bisexual. Dutch production firm Cineart are on-board the project, Westenberg said.
You Sing Loud… is a debut feature as writer and producer for Clara McGregor, who revealed the inspiration behind the use of UK singer Leona Lewis’ hit ‘Bleeding Love’ in the film. “My dad and I used to be big fans of Leona Lewis. I started growing out of it at some point; he didn’t,” she joked. “On the drive to school he would crank the volume up; I’d be ducking down behind the seat.”
Both Ewan and Clara agreed they will be working together again after this first major collaboration, made with Clara and Vera Bulder’s US company Deux Dames Entertainment. “I’m just anticipating them writing me lots of roles – it’s a very good way to keep her old dad in work,” said McGregor.
“More to come; we don’t know what that looks like yet, but we’ll come up with something,” added Clara.
You Sing Loud… had its international premiere on Saturday, July 1 in Karlovy Vary. Screenings today include the international premiere of Behrooz Karamizade’s Empty Nets; and the world premiere of Tomas Klein’s Czech debut A Sensitive Person, both in the main Crystal Globe competition.
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