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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What's it like to read a Woody script for the first time with the idea that you might be in it? Did you know anything about it?
EWAN MCGREGOR: No, he didn't tell me anything about it. My first meeting with him, he came and he said, ''I've seen some of your work, and I have a part I think you might be nice for, and I just wanted to meet you in the flesh. Thanks for coming.'' And that was it. And I felt like I should say something, even though it was probably a mistake, so I said, ''When are you making a film?'' And he said, ''Well, we are making the film in May and really that's all I can tell you, thanks for coming in,'' and off I went. And the next day after they sent the script, and I said I wanted to do it.
Did you read page by page looking for the laughs? Or did you know by that point that it wasn't a comedy?
No, I had no preconceived ideas about it at all.
Are you disappointed at all that you didn't get to be in a Woody comedy, just because?
No, just because I think the stuff that we got to play was brilliant. And the brother stuff is unique and not often explored. I have played countless movies against women and exploring the male-female relationship but never a brotherly relationship. I can't think of any other film of mine, anyway.
And were you eager to go head to head with Colin? Did you know him before?
No, I'd never met him. So, this was the first time, and I got on with him straight away. We worked very hard and we threw ourselves into it because the scenes were massive and full of dialogue, and we were shooting three or four or five of them a day.
Did you ever get to sit and talk to Woody and ask what his reasons were for writing this? Or does he let the script speak for itself, even with the actors?
Yes. And he wasn't too interested. Even if you wanted to discuss your motivations or whatever. I got the impression that he wasn't interested. I thought that he beautifully directed the acting, and I was amazed at how challenging he was. For instance, for one scene in the movie, he told me to take it down so you could hardly hear what I was saying, and that kind of force, that's all Woody. He really directed it beautifully, but I don't think he was interested in how you got there. Not really.
Interesting. What are your favorite Woody Allen movies?
I like Zelig and I liked Purple Rose of Cairo and Bullets Over Broadway. I really liked Zelig. I really like the Sean Penn one, Sweet and Lowdown.
Just because some of his movies are ''bad'' and some of his movies are ''good,'' do you worry about that at all when you're going in?
No. I just think he is a great filmmaker, and he's made an enormous amount of films. And there are a number of them that are great, and far greater than any other director you could name. In terms of how many great films he's made, Woody Allen has beaten everyone, hands down. He's got so many great films and so I don't worry about it being a bad one, and if it were, in other people's opinion, I still would have gotten a chance to work with him.
So, this is something you can check off your to-do list?
I'd really like to do it again. I really would.
NEXT PAGE: ''Something like Trainspotting has more [impact on my career], because people went, ''F---! What's with this?'' So, in a way it's got more of an impact than Star Wars, when people are expecting something like that anyway.''
