Ewan McGregor has spoken about how Woody Allen once told him how he was “boring everyone to death” on the set of 2007 crime thriller Cassandra’s Dream.
- READ MORE: ‘Trainspotting’: an oral history of the cult film and its sequel
The film, which saw the Trainspotting star team up with Colin Farrell, saw the director give McGregor some cutting feedback on set.
“Once, he walked over to me and went, ‘I can hear every seat in the cinema flapping up,’ like I was boring everyone to death and everyone’s leaving,” recalled McGregor in a new interview with Variety.
“I was like, ‘Oh, thanks, Woody.’ So me and Colin Farrell, as soon as we saw each other, we’d start running lines because there were huge long scenes, and he doesn’t like to do or doesn’t often do coverage – which is wonderful to do as an actor because it’s a bit like being on stage, but you have to be up to speed.”
Despite the criticism, Allen’s film received mixed reviews clocking up an approval rating of only 46 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.
Meanwhile, McGregor is set to be honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame later today (September 12). “If anyone gives you an award for anything, you’re pretty chuffed about it,” McGregor said.
“You’re always just pleased to be thought of. But I don’t know how I feel about it…
obviously very pleased and honoured and grateful, and a little bit embarrassed as well.”
Elsewhere, the premiere for Allen’s film Coup de Chance was recently interrupted by protesters, who urged the Venice Film Festival to “turn the spotlight off on rapists”. They cited directors Woody Allen, Luc Besson and Roman Polanski, who have all been accused of sexual abuse.
Allen recently maintained his innocence against sexual abuse allegations from his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow, deeming that there was “no merit” to the charges. The director has always denied the charges and has never been charged with a crime in this case.