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Selfies are soulless, says McGregor
Actor Ewan McGregor said that he moved away from Britain in order to get away from selfie-loving fans. He said that he became fed up walking around London with his head down, trying to avoid eye contact with those who might ask him for a snap.
The Trainspotting (1996) star said selfies were “soulless and embarrassing” and that it was not being accosted by fans that he minded — but that they only wanted a photo rather than a chat.
“As an actor, you have to put yourselves in the shoes of other people and if you don’t get to be in the world then your work isn’t based on anything. I don’t want to have to not walk down the street. There are some places where it is easier to do than others,” he explained.
Revealing it was why he moved to the US, he said, “It got harder for me in London, and I don’t live in London any more probably as a result... I’m always happy to speak to people if they want to talk about my work, I really am, but it’s turned into just doing selfies with people. There is no conversation...”
The actor went on to say that he dislikes selfies so much he’d even prefer fans telling him his films are terrible than asking for a photo. “It’s a soulless thing... Before it used to be ‘Oh I saw you in that film’. Even if people didn’t like something... at least there was some sort of exchange...”
EWAN MCGREGOR FEELS ANNOYED WHEN PEOPLE JUST WANT TO TAKE SELFIES WITH HIM, INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT HIS WORK
Actor Jennifer Connelly says the emergence of streaming services has had an impact on the film industry, so much so that there is no room for independent production.
“I feel like we’re spending more time at home. People go to the movies less; they stream movies at home on big TV screens. This has had an impact on the industry. These days, the films made for theatrical release have to be spectacles. In the 1970s, an Oscar-winning film was also a blockbuster. Today, there is no room for independent production and different points of view,” Connelly says.
Asked what feeds her as an actor, she shares, “Over the years, I’ve listened to various albums by Radiohead while working on movies... I often return to the books of Virginia Woolf, I find interesting things there for building my characters. But what feeds me the most are the streets of New York. They’re unpredictable.”
Talking about her latest film Alita: Battle Angel, she says, “I took it as a personality challenge since she was not the person she initially presented. She looks like a screen friendly yet delicious villain in the beginning. Later we get to know the real reason behind her behaviour.”