Wean-spotting! Ewan McGregor on his joy at son’s Scots accent, and moving back to Scotland to be closer with family
Ewan McGregor has revealed he moved back to Scotland to be closer to his ageing parents, with the added bonus of his young son picking up a Scottish accent. The 55-year-old Trainspotting star, who left home at 16, said being separated from his elderly parents and brother for two years during the Covid pandemic made him realise how much he had missed by living abroad for his entire adult life.
McGregor and his wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, left the US last year and now live with their five-year-old son, Laurie, in a £2.35million, ten-bedroom listed property near his hometown of Crieff, Perthshire, boasting more than 15,000 sq ft of space. Speaking to Variety at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, he described the relief of being able to "pop round" to his parents' house within half an hour, calling the transition "effortless". He also has four daughters from his previous marriage to Eve Mavrakis, and is set to star alongside Alan Cumming in a stage adaptation of Supernova at Pitlochry Festival Theatre next summer.
- Ewan McGregor moved back to Scotland to be near his parents
- Pandemic separation from family prompted the relocation decision
- Son Laurie, 5, is now picking up a Scottish accent
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Ewan McGregor, the Perthshire-born actor best known for Trainspotting and the Star Wars prequels, left Scotland at 16 and has spent most of his adult life living and working abroad, largely in the United States. He has four adult daughters from his marriage to Eve Mavrakis, and a young son, Laurie, with his current wife, the American actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
The couple relocated from the US back to Scotland last year, settling near McGregor's hometown of Crieff. The move followed a period during the Covid pandemic when travel restrictions kept him apart from his elderly parents and brother, prompting him to reassess how much distance had cost him over the years.
McGregor made the comments in an interview at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, an annual event that draws actors and filmmakers to discuss their work and personal lives. He is also due to appear on stage with fellow Scottish actor Alan Cumming at Pitlochry Festival Theatre next summer.