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Lives Less Ordinary

EWAN McGREGOR/CAMERON DIAZ INTERVIEW

I'm nervous, my palms are sweaty. It's been raining and my hair is damp and horrible. This is probably not the best impression to giving someone who had just recently been voted most desirable woman by readers of 'Maxim'.
Ewan walks in, grinning and smoking a Marlboro Medium and I instantly feel more relaxed. Cameron is smiling also and their friendly demure makes for a better atmosphere. We get down to business. How did Cameron feel, joining such a well established team. She smiles, she was expecting this one.
"They started off by ignoring me," she explains "but I threw stones at them until they let me play in their boys' games." I raise an eyebrow, wondering just how sarcastic she is being but lacking the courage to venture further with the subject.
What about the charicatures at the end of the film, were you pleased or insulted?
"Oh they were very good, I like the outfit they gave me to wear."
The one question I had been burning to ask was what was the new Star Wars film all about. Rather unsurprisingly Ewan could not give any answer on that one. But when asked if he would like to have been Han Solo or Luke Skywalker he replied:
"Princess Leia, because of the big buns." I assume he means the haircut, but I'm not sure.
With there being a resurgence in the British film industry I wondered if Ewan saw himself as a pioneer to the increasing number of young actors in Britain today?
"I don't really know, but it's just good that we are getting them."
Ewan did not really play the part as a Scot, except from wearing a kilt at the end, was this deliberate?
"It was really because my American accent wasn't good enough."
We talk about the lack of love scenes within the films, Cameron explains why:
"It was really because the film was a romantic one, in the vein of films of the 30s and 40s, and it would have been rather out of place. The dance scene really takes the place of the sex scene, that's where Robert and Celine have their first intimate moment." Ewan adds to this: "The characters do actually have sex, it's just that we don't see it."
"We didn't know we were doing that dance scene until really late on, and they made us do the Karaoke scene for real in a bar to make the actual scene better."
Ewan had mentioned that he was busy until April, so where exactly does he get this energy from.
"The only thing that really drives me is the fact that I really like working on a film set, I love getting up for work in the morning and the whole atmosphere that you get on a set. If a receive an offer for a film that I like then it's really hard to say no."
Do you think that the characters live happily ever after?
Both Cameron and Ewan think so.
But are Cameron and Ewan romantic and if so in what way?
Cameron replied that she liked to be made to feel special and to make other people feel special, the usual flowers etc.
Ewan's answer was more mystic: "Mind your own business."
Fair enough, but did Cameron like Ewan's kilt?
"Oh yeah, I like a man in a skirt."
Ewan also mentioned that he did not have anything on under the kilt. So for how long were you like that?
"The time it took to do the scene and get back to my trailer."
Since her debut in 'The Mask' Cameron has seemed to take roles in the lower budget more independent films, is that deliberate?
"I just like to take roles that interest me, if a big commercial film comes along with a part that interests me then I'll take it."
Finally, in keeping with the themes of the film Ewan and Cameron gave their views on faith and destiny.
Cameron: "I believe in destiny and that things happen for a reason."
Ewan: "No, I don't believe in destiny, because that would mean that the choices that we make every day would mean absolutely nothing. I believe that choices are for real."

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These pages first created 12/10/97 Last Modified 15/1/98