Ewan McGregor Interview For Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’

This dynamic action-thriller directed by Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh boasts a talented cast that includes Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton , Michael Douglas, Michael Angarano; and introduces mixed martial arts superstar Gina Carano as Mallory Kane, in a demanding lead role that has her performing her own high-adrenaline stunts.

Mallory Kane is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive. Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious—and dangerous—trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she’ll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary. ‘Haywire’ is released in cinemas January 18th.

I was told you were meant to work with Steve Soderbergh before ‘Haywire‘?

Ewan McGregor: Yes. We spoke along time ago about doing a film together and it didn’t work out for one reason or another. Sometimes if that happens, or if you’ve turned down a director, I don’t think I turned it down, it was just a scheduling issue I think – but then that can be it, the director won’t come back to you (laughs). But I’ve always liked Steven Soderbergh as a director, I’ve liked his films. I like the fact that you don’t know what he’s going to do next, the fact that he’s turned his hand to many different kinds of films, genres. As an actor he’s definitely on the list of directors you want to work with.

What was his pitch to you for this film?

Ewan McGregor: When he came to me with this, I was excited at first that he had come to me, and then we sat and had lunch and he showed me an article in Vanity Fair about the guy who runs Blackwater, the private army. It was a very interesting article and he was like, “This is the kind of guy I want you to play.” The script was very, very strong. It was a really good piece of writing. It had good strong elements from, obviously, fight movies, which I am not familiar with particularly. There was a spy element: what it is like to be an undercover spy – James Bond. And at the centre of it is this incredible strong female lead, which is unusual in a film like this, I think. So it was very intriguing, and for me personally, the opportunity to work with Steven was very strong.

How was it working with Gina Carano? She’s a machine in this film.

Ewan McGregor: When we first met, Steven also talked about Gina. I’m not a fight fan so I wasn’t aware of her, but when I got back from lunch I looked her up on Youtube and I was watching her videos with my mouth wide open thinking, “Oh my god!” (Laughs) I was then fascinated to meet her and I didn’t know what to expect. But when I did meet Gina I was totally taken with her and surprised by her. For a professional fighter she’s very gentle, feminine. When she talks about fighting she talks about the training. For her, I think it’s almost like a Zen feeling, a spiritual feeling looking towards the fight. I never heard her say anything about trying to hurt people, having a desire for that, that’s not what drives her. She was great.

Can you talk about your character Kenneth?

Ewan McGregor: Kenneth has been in the military, maybe special forces. He’s come out of the military and he’s taken the skills that he’s learned, probably a lot of people he’s met, and he forms a private security company. His set of operatives are available to hire by the government or by the FBI, whoever it may be, to go into dangerous situations. In this instance, in the beginning of our film, to extract someone from a hostage situation. There are people like this, probably a lot more than there ever used to be. They do the work that the military would do, but they do it for money. Kenneth is about the money.

He has a back-story with Mallory….

Ewan McGregor: I think he was familiar with Mallory when he was in the forces, probably he met her somewhere. But they’ve had a relationship. He’s brought her into his company and she’s sort of his secret weapon because she’s a woman, she’s incredibly tough, she’s deadly and he knows that probably in that world it’s handy to have someone like that.

At first I don’t think he knows that she wants to leave. He sends her off on a job here, a job there, he keeps her busy. The film starts in Barcelona, then she comes home to San Diego and he immediately arrives, she’s still unpacking, she’s in a new apartment, and he says, “I need you to go to Ireland.” He’s probably got whiff that she wants to leave, and also I think he believes she’s become too important to the clients, in that they all want her. That threatens him in a way for his business. He says in a scene with Michael Douglas, “It’s not good precedent for my company that if she doesn’t go I don’t get the job.” So she’s become almost too powerful, she’s endangering his company, his future, so he sends her off to Ireland.

How was it going into the fight scene with Gina?

Ewan McGregor: I felt fine because by that time I got to know her really well. We were in very safe hands with Gina because she’s so precise. I really never felt there was ever an issue or worry to get hurt. I didn’t feel like that. The only time I did get hurt was when I accidentally punched Gina in the head (laughs). I had three punches. One, two, and the third punch had to go right over Gina’s head and I messed it up. I punched her solidly right in the side of her head, and she came straight up to me and said, “Are you okay?” And I was trying to be very butch, “Yeah, I’m fine,” but I had broken three fingers, and Gina didn’t feel a thing (laughs). We were in very safe hands. The only scary thing is Gina’s fitness is just unbelievable. Because I watched her do some of the fight scenes in New Mexico with stunt men, and they would do a take, and at the end of the take, Steven would say, “Cut!” And the stuntmen were, like….destroyed. They would be like (heavy breathing noise), sweating, and Gina would be like, “All right, ready for another take?” We were doing a fight in sand. My fitness is not very great. My worry was more about being able to keep going through the day. It was a long day.