After 25 years in the business, will Ewan McGregor’s move to small screen Minnesota bring him the plaudits that have thus far eluded him in his long, diverse career? Despite being Golden Globe-nominated a couple of times, his has always been a more commercial than critical success.
Now, the ‘Trainspotting’ actor has taken not one, but three, leaves out of his acting peers’ books with his starring role in ‘Fargo’...
1. Make the move to telly
Ewan made his name with Dennis Potter’s TV drama ‘Lipstick on Your Collar’ in 1993, but ever since he became one of the UK’s biggest stars, it’s been the big screen all the way, apart from a long-ago guest spot on ‘ER’, and a more recent HBO pilot ‘The Corrections’. Now, he stars in Season 3 of the critically-praised ‘Fargo’, which starts on Channel 4 tonight. This series follows the, probably brutal, community fall-out when two brothers - handsome, self-made property mogul Emmit Stussy and balding, pot-bellied parole officer Ray Stussy - let their sibling rivalry escalate out of control, bringing chaos to a small Minnesotan community
2. Take on a dual role
Ewan takes on the challenge of playing BOTH brothers in the series. He explained the appeal of the extra work to Esquire Magazine: “FX network chief Nick Grad told me, ‘We’re casting the third season, and we’re looking for an actor to play two brothers.’ I said, ‘Are they twins?’ He said, ‘No.’ And I thought, ‘Interesting...’”
It’s not the first time he’s attempted this. In the 2015 film ‘Last Days in the Desert’, he played both Jesus and Satan.
3. Render himself unrecognisable
If you think he looks a bit different as smoothly-coiffed Emmit...
Check him out here as Ray... well, it worked for Matthew McConaughey.
‘Fargo’ begins tonight at 10pm on Channel 4.