Ewan McGregor has shared how acting alongside his eldest daughter, Clara, in the 2024 film "Bleeding Love" was instrumental in healing their relationship after a difficult period for his family.
The actor, 55, became emotional recalling the experience of working with Clara, 30, on the father-daughter road trip movie. McGregor's divorce from his first wife, production designer Eve Mavrakis, was finalized in 2020, a separation that he described as a "painful time" for his children.
McGregor was married to Mavrakis from 1995 to 2017. They have four daughters: Clara, Esther, Jamyan, and Anouk. McGregor married his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, in 2022, and they welcomed a son, Laurie, in 2021.
"Bleeding Love," which Clara also co-wrote and produced, centers on a father and daughter attempting to reconcile during a cross-country trip. McGregor took on the role after Clara asked him to play her father in the film.
He explained that the period following his divorce from Clara's mother was intensely difficult, with his children, including Clara, experiencing significant hurt. McGregor expressed gratitude for Clara's openness and vocalization of her feelings during that time. He recounted pausing an interview at the Edinburgh International Film Festival when discussing this, becoming visibly emotional.
"Clara had expressed her anger very well," McGregor stated. "And so when she told me sometime later, after a year or two, that she was writing a story about us, I was scared that it was gonna be something like that. And when I read it, it was so beautiful and moving, and about reparation of a relationship between a father and a daughter that hadn’t fully happened yet between us."
McGregor described the film as having "masses of elements" that mirrored their own experiences, though it was not strictly autobiographical. He recalled a specific scene where Clara's character confronts his, a moment where she channeled real-life emotions she had expressed to him. He encouraged her to fully inhabit the scene, telling her, "Clara, just let me have it. Do it."
This discussion comes years after speculation arose in 2019 regarding Clara's reaction to her father's split from her mother. At the time, Clara made public comments that were interpreted by some as criticisms of her father's new relationship. She later clarified that her remarks were not specifically aimed at her father but rather that her mother "deserves someone who isn’t one."
McGregor has also collaborated with his younger daughter, Esther, on the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi." Additionally, he has frequently worked with his current wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, on various projects.
Speaking at the Edinburgh International Film Festival event "In Conversation with Ewan McGregor," the actor emphasized that his role as a father and husband remained central even while working with family members.