Ewan McGregor is one of Hollywood’s biggest actors, having starred in countless memorable roles throughout his over 30-year career in acting. These include roles in some of the biggest franchises to date, as well as roles that have earned him both critical and awards praise over the years.
Up next for McGregor is a role in David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street, a sci-fi take on the dinosaur genre. He’ll star in the film alongside Anne Hathaway when the movie comes out this week. In celebration of the new movie, we’re taking a look at five of McGregor’s biggest and best roles throughout his illustrious career.
5 best Ewan McGregor movies ranked
5. Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
Of course, we’re starting with one of McGregor’s most memorable roles. You could also maybe slot in his debut as a younger Obi-Wan Kenobi in The Phantom Menace here, but Revenge of the Sith is by far the best of the three Star Wars prequels, and features the biggest range McGregor gets to showcase as Kenobi.
By the time Revenge of the Sith has begun, it’s clear that Anakin Skywalker is no longer enamored with the Jedi way. This creates an incredible back-and-forth between himself and Kenobi, which only gets explored the more the movie goes. This culminates in one of the most iconic moments in Star Wars history, a fight between the pair on the lava-filled planet Mustafar. McGregor’s ability to portray Kenobi as essentially a heartbroken father over what Anakin has become is something that helped his character remain as legendary as it is even to this day.
4. Black Hawk Down
Black Hawk Down features a who’s who of cast members, so many might forget that McGregor was in this when they first think of the movie. However, McGregor plays a crucial role in the movie, as he steps into the character of Specialist John “Grimsey” Grimes, a desk clerk who suddenly finds himself thrust into actual combat for the first time.
McGregor playing a role like this was not something we’d seen at the time. However, he did it expertly, portraying a scared yet determined Grimes that steps into the world of action seamlessly. It was an incredible performance from McGregor, and one that fits right in place with several of the other all-star cast members.
3. Big Fish
McGregor stepped into the world of the fantastical with Big Fish, teaming up with Tim Burton for the movie based on the Daniel Wallace novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions. In it, he acts opposite the legendary Albert Finney, playing the role of a younger version of Finney’s Edward Bloom. The movie largely focuses on the stories an older Bloom tells about his life, which often result in outlandish and downright unbelievable things happening to him.
To McGregor’s credit, he plays the role great. He is a straight man of sorts in the world of Big Fish, simply reacting to many of the almost supernatural things happening to him. While Finney gets most of the heartfelt moments later on in the movie, McGregor sets them up perfectly, and does a great job fitting right at home with Burton’s wild style.
2. Moulin Rouge!
This one might be a bit controversial, as Moulin Rouge! is usually a pretty divisive movie. People either really love it, or really don’t. What can’t be argued, though, is McGregor’s amazing performance in one of Baz Luhrmann’s most audacious projects to date. McGregor plays the role of Christian, a writer who falls in love with a cabaret star and courtesan, played by Nicole Kidman.
McGregor feels right at home here, as he puts his theater experience to good use by going all out in the musical. He plays the role of a lovestruck youngster pining for a woman amazingly, and it makes up for a lot of issues with the movie, lifting it all the way up into cult classic territory for many.
1. Trainspotting
The best movie McGregor might ever star in is one of his first, ironically. 1996’s Trainspotting is just McGregor’s fourth credited movie, but stands the test of time as one of his most impressive pieces of acting ever. Directed by Danny Boyle and based on Irvine Welsh’s novel of the same name, McGregor stars in Trainspotting as Mark “Rent Boy” Renton, a heroin addict in Edinburgh who spends most of his time hanging out with his fellow addicts.
While the plot of the movie doesn’t sound too alluring on paper, it is a bona fide masterpiece. Not only is the movie oozing with style, but McGregor’s role, specifically, carries the project even higher. His Renton is a character we can’t help but like, even as he continues to be as brash and unreliable as he is throughout the movie. It’s a performance that catapulted McGregor into superstardom, and one that remains the crowning achievement of his career.
