Choose life, choose navy shorts and a first class education at a £13k school...
Movie star Ewan changes his tune to use Trainspotting speech for school ads
IN Trainspotting, he played a heroin addict whose Choose Life speech mocks the bourgeois values of the middle classes.
Now Ewan McGregor has performed a parody of the same speech – in an advert for the private school where he was once a pupil.
The Scots actor appears in a new promotional video for prestigious Morrison’s Academy in Crieff, Perthshire, where he tells prospective pupils: ‘Choose Morrison’s, choose a first-class education.’
The Hollywood star, who dropped out of education at 16 to go on the stage, continues: ‘Choose a learning community, choose a school family, choose cutting-edge technology, choose outdoor classes, clubs and courses, choose the refectory, choose the turkey, choose art, music, drama, choose your learning, choose your friends, choose navy shorts and bright red socks.
‘Choose striving for the highest, with independent learning, building empathy and resilience, choose asking questions, making suggestions, crossing boundaries and borders.
‘Choose being a Morrisonian for life, choose your future, choose Morrison’s Academy.’
It is at odds with the original quote, from the opening sequence of the award-winning 1990s film which made McGregor a household name.
It said: ‘Choose life, choose a job, choose a career, choose a family, choose a f ****** big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers, choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance, choose fixed interest mortgage repayments, choose a starter home...’
The voiceover appears in an eight-minute advert for the school, filmed by McGregor’s nephew, Jamie, who studied media at Inverness College. The teenager hopes to follow his uncle into the film industry – albeit behind a camera.
Jamie’s father Colin – the film star’s older brother – is a former fighter pilot, whose 18year service in the RAF included combat missions over Iraq. He now works as an airline pilot. Morrison’s rector Gareth Warren said: ‘We think Jamie has done an excellent job of capturing what Morrison’s Academy is all about. It’s lovely to see how well the film has been received online.’ He added: ‘The McGregor family are very supportive of the school, and during discussions the idea arose of hosting Jamie McGregor for a film-making project as he came to the end of his film-making course. Jim and Carol McGregor, Jamie’s grandparents, were pupils at the school; Jim taught PE here for many years and is vice president of our Morrisonian Club.
‘Their sons Colin and Ewan both attended. Colin was head boy and MacRosty medallist.’
McGregor, who returned to his role as Renton earlier this year in Trainspotting 2, was back in his home town in August for the Crieff Highland Games, where his father was installed as chieftain. He posted a picture on Instagram of himself and his brother in their kilts saying: ‘Well done Dad! We are all so proud of you.’
Established in 1860, Morrison’s Academy currently has 441 pupils.
Other notable former pupils include McGregor’s uncle, fellow actor Denis Lawson and Olympic curling medallist Eve Muirhead.
‘The McGregor family are very supportive ’