Ewan McGregor was born in Perth, Scotland and grew up in Crieff, Scotland.
McGregor isn't a religious man. And he's had to address this with the press, having played a fundamentalist Catholic in the film, Angels & Demons. He said:
I don't follow a religion, and I don't have a belief in a Christian God. It wasn't something that I realized, it was something I knew. It doesn't mean that I am a spiritual-less person. I'm not. But I've often thought that talking about beliefs in that respect are private.[1]
The film was considered, by many Catholics, to be anti-Catholic. McGregor denied it, however, and added that he felt it necessary to be respectful of religious beliefs. If he felt a film would be disrespectful, he simply wouldn't do it.[2]
But he has specifically stated that he is not Catholic,[3] so if we had to pin a religious heritage on him, (keeping in mind there is no evidence for this assumption) it pretty much only leaves the Church of Scotland–an Anglican faith–connected to where he was born and raised.
If he does have any beliefs, they seem to be more oriented toward agnosticism or atheism. He said about death and dying:
I was with a friend of mine recently who was dying and while he was lying there with his family around his bed, I just knew that was it, that was the best you can hope for in life – to have your family and the people who love you around you at the end.[4]
Politics of apathy
McGregor isn't just non-religious, he's explicitly non-political. Well, that might not be right. He seems more cynical than anything:
I'm not that into politics, and I'm not that interested in politicians. In fact, I'm completely uninterested in politicians. I can't read a newspaper article about politics, I just can't find myself interested in it. Because I don't really believe in them very much. In Britain anyway, they seem to prove over and over that they're people who are not particularly trustworthy… I just find them to be – fairly despicable people.[5]
However, he jokingly considers himself to be a champion of women's rights. Referring to his penchant for appearing nude in his films, McGregor commented that he's making up for years of female exploitation in the film industry.[6]
Furthermore, he doesn't mind being the object of homosexual desire,[7] indicating he's likely not the conservative type–something he's fessed-up to:
Conservative's the last thing I am.[8]
So, liberal then?
Loading comments...