8 Things You Learn Re-Watching Trainspotting
3. Trainspotting Was The Beautifully Premature Peak Of Ewan McGregor's Career
When you look at Ewan McGregor's IMDB page - because, you know, is there any other metric on which to judge an actor's career? - it claims that that he is most famously 'known for' Trainspotting - naturally - and then each of the installments of the Star Wars prequel trilogy.
Whilst the 'known for' films on an actor's page can be just a little subjective, it's hard to refute IMDB's assessment in this instance. A further scroll through McGregor's filmography makes for a sobering read. There is an impression of McGregor as this bankable, Hollywood-accepted leading man, but actually, this is far from the case.
The blockbuster leads he does have to his name are largely Herculean flops like Michael Bay's The Island or entirely polarizing pieces like Moulin Rouge. You have a rogue gem in Black Hawk Down, and The Impossible wasn't too bad - but in terms of leading roles in big budget films the positivity ends there.
Then you have the plethora of B-movie psychological and/or thrillers - his seemingly guilty pleasure - that sit somewhere on a scale between watchable-yet-unremarkable (The Ghost Writer, Our Kind of Traitor) to painfully trite (Deception, Haywire, Cassandra's Dream).
Trainspotting was - at the sprightly age of 25 - McGregor's best - and only truly exceptional - performance. He was the perfect poster boy for Danny Boyle's message that drugs aren't just taken by morons and deadbeats. His handsome, youthful features defined Renton's appeal to an audience that were crying out for a counter-culture role model and on this note, McGregor played it pitch-perfect.
He swaggered his way around Edinburgh as the sexy, nihilistic proof that people you automatically wouldn't cross the street to avoid - that they might just enjoy the occasional hit too.