Just when you would think superstardom would go to a guy’s head, that even being in a galaxy far far away or any other fantasy world which he seamlessly fits into, Ewan McGregor proves he is very much down to earth. Despite the insane salaries he can demand for a movie Ewan has signed up to perform on stage in Othello.
Donmar Warehouse theatre director Michael Grandage said it was like a board game, arranging for Ewan, Chiwetel and Kelly to be available at the same time for his production of Othello, in which Chiwetel will play the noble Moor, Kelly his Desdemona and Ewan is Iago, the jealous confidant who brings about their destruction.
The three thespians enjoy movie careers that pay handsomely, certainly in the case of the two leading men.
But when Othello begins performances at the Donmar on November 29, with an official first night on December 4, they will be on the Equity minimum wage.
“We’re up to £400 a week now,” Grandage joked.
This is rather humbling for a star of his caliber. He could easily churn out the mega hits with his charm and genuine presence, but instead chooses to do things that he loves for the sake of doing it. His fame has awarded him a certain lifestyle, and he has not let it go to his head.
He has been quoted as saying “I won’t buy into the Hollywood thing…I want to be in good movies.” and Star Wars fans might contest that considering their opinion of the prequels, but Ewan did a fine job in them.
If it were not for the fact that this showing of Othello is on the other side of the planet from me, I would consider attending.
You may have a point Kristina, but Rodney’s main thesis still holds true. Whether they have a justifiable business reason to do so or not, studios are willing to pay Ewan a lot of money to be in movies. So returning to the stage to work for scale does demonstrate that (at least right now) raking in as much money as he can while he can isn’t his number one priority.
Uh…truthfully, Ewan CAN’T churn out mega-hits. All of his movies have generally been flops save for Star Wars, and that would have been huge no matter who was in the movie. Put Paris Hilton in Star Wars and there’d still be weirdos camping out for five months. I like him, especially in Moulin Rouge, but putting him in your movie doesn’t affect your box office one way or the other. His movie career is in the shitter, so he’s going back to the stage to recharge the batteries.