The Big Picture
- In the early 1990s, Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor formed a successful collaboration with films like Trainspotting.
- Their relationship soured when Leonardo DiCaprio was cast in Boyle's next film, The Beach, instead of McGregor.
- After mending their friendship, Boyle and McGregor reunited for T2: Trainspotting, but have yet to work together again.
Filmmaking is a collaborative art with some of the most definitive collaborations coming from directors and actors. There are legendary pairings of filmmakers and stars that have resulted in not only some of their best work but some of the greatest films of all time. Jimmy Stewart's legacy is defined by his work with Alfred Hitchcock and Frank Capra; Akira Kurosawa's films are undeniably enhanced with Toshiro Mifune at the center; and, of course, what would cinema be without the works of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. In the early 1990s, another pairing seemed to be cementing itself with three movies in a row from the United Kingdom from director Danny Boyle and star Ewan McGregor. What might have been a legendary career together was cut short when the two had a falling out because, like so many friendships between teenage girls in the '90s, Leonardo DiCaprio got in the way.
Trainspotting
RHeroin addict Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends -- Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Tommy (Kevin McKidd). He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane (Kelly Macdonald), along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind when Begbie shows up at his front door on the lam, and a scheming Sick Boy follows
- Release Date
- February 23, 1996
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Cast
- Ewan McGregor , Ewen Bremner , Jonny Lee Miller , Kevin McKidd , Robert Carlyle , Kelly Macdonald
- Runtime
- 94
- Main Genre
- Crime
What Movies Have Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle Made Together?
Danny Boyle debuted in the UK's film scene with the indie crime thriller Shallow Grave. The scumbag story of three counterculture friends being warped by a briefcase full of money laid the groundwork for much of Boyle's kinetic filmmaking style and modern sensibilities when it came to tone and music. Not only was Shallow Grave a hit, but it connected Boyle to his frequent collaborators: producer Andrew MacDonald, screenwriter John Hodge, and, of course, Ewan McGregor. The foursome would immediately re-team for what would become one of the most impactful films of the 1990s: Trainspotting. The drug-induced high-energy ride with a monologue that made for a great poster at least one person had in their dorm room at every college was a sensation upon release and remains one of the most beloved works in all of their careers.
Unfortunately, the third time was not the charm for this quartet. The gang followed up Trainspotting by going Hollywood with A Life Less Ordinary, a strange comedy about an inept criminal kidnapping a vicious heiress (Cameron Diaz). The two finding a romantic connection is intriguing enough, but their romance is also the result of divine intervention, literally, from two angels (Holly Hunter and Delroy Lindo). The film failed to catch on with audiences and critics, but McGregor's career was beginning to take off, scoring an Emmy-nominated role on a stand-out episode of ER, and getting cast in the first of the Star Warsprequels as Obi-Wan Kenobi. All the success aside, McGregor was loyal to Boyle and company, as he told The Independent, his part in Boyle's movies defined him as an actor, "I felt like it was a badge on my sleeve: I am Danny Boyle’s actor." Fame and success affect everyone differently, and Danny Boyle was no exception.
Leonardo DiCaprio Gets in the Way With 'The Beach'
While The Man in the Iron Mask was released after Titanic (falling short at the box office to Titanic in its thirteenth week), there was still hype around what would be Leonardo DiCaprio's true follow-up to the craze of Titanic. At the same time, Boyle was prepping his next film (still with MacDonald and Hodge) which was to be an adaptation ofAlex Garland's novel The Beach. DiCaprio took an interest in the project and was eventually cast in the lead. When reflecting on it, Boyle cites hubris as the driving factor behind the decision. "It’s the illusion that you think you’re moving up, therefore you‘re going to need a bigger star to sell the movie." There is some speculation more money was offered alongside DiCaprio's involvement, it's possible with McGregor doing his own work outside of Boyle's films that Boyle wanted to branch out as well, or maybe it's just hard to say no to the opportunity to bag the biggest star of the highest-grossing movie of all time (at that point.)
Whatever the reason, the true mistake was nobody told Ewan. As reported in Vanity Fair, McGregor seemed to expect he would be cast in The Beach. He recalls being "arrogant when [he] was young," and was surprised to learn he wasn't going to be in the movie. Boyle also admits he gave McGregor the impression they were going to cast him and then simply didn't, in favor of casting the new hot thing. Reflecting on it, McGregor realized it wasn't really about the business and battles over star power, but more so the friendship. Having their careers so closely tied together from the start weighed on McGregor, "It felt like it was the most important thing of my career," he recalls. But the misunderstanding and miscommunication created a rift that would not see any repair for over a decade.
Forget Jedi, Here’s the Role Ewan McGregor Is Born to Play
Someone get this man a pen and a piece of paper, stat!Why Did the Danny Boyle and Ewan McGregor Feud Last So Long?
England is a small country, so the two probably couldn't help but run into one another from time to time, which McGregor, when speaking to The Independent, likened to "meeting an old lover or something. Ultimately, it was nice to see him, always.” The two lead separate careers though, with McGregor continuing his work in Star Wars and going on to acclaimed movies like Moulin Rouge and Big Fish, while Boyle reinvented himself exploring different genres with 28 Days Later and Sunshine. It was one of Boyle's films that started to mend his friendship with McGregor when Slumdog Millionaire rode the wave of acclaim into awards season.
At one of many award ceremonies eventually leading up to the Oscars, Boyle received a directing award, and McGregor was asked to present the award and speak about his work. Boyle recalls being "in tears backstage," in no part due to how McGregor ended the speech "I love and miss you." And yet, the bridge was still a few years from repair. As recounted in an interview on The Graham Norton Show, at some point the conflict was past resentment and now was just awkward. When talking to Graham about the falling out, McGregor regales a story of him and Boyle being booked at the same film festival in Shanghai.
On top of being abroad together, McGregor promoting a film and Boyle heading the festival's jury, the two ended up on the same flight back. McGregor, Boyle, and Boyle's wife were apparently the only people in first class on this long international flight, but it still wasn't the time. McGregor couldn't bring himself to do it just yet, even though he recognized the moment when he and Boyle were the only two still awake and could speak in private. The two sat in silence only to patch things up in time to reunite for T2: Trainspotting.
They're Friends Again! Now Make More Movies Together Please!
Though they have yet to work together again since T2: Trainspotting, Ewan McGregor and Danny Boyle have mended their friendship. The Graham Norton interview alone shows the two displaying so much affection for one another, it is without question they have worked past it. Boyle claims most of the responsibility, failing to properly communicate with McGregor, but he mostly admires how much grace McGregor handled the situation with.
McGregor speaks for everyone when mourning what the two lost by not working together. "18 years since that point, I just regret all the films that we didn’t make together, me and Danny.” The now four collaborations are high points of Boyle and McGregor's careers, and one can only hope that there are more to come and they can further their place as one of the great actor-and-director duos. If anything, it probably helps that neither has worked with Leonardo DiCaprio ever since.
Watch T2: Trainspotting on Starz in the U.S.
