On his Russian Revolution drama, relationships and why sex scenes are tricky – even with your wife!
The Russian Revolution and the turmoil that followed once proved rich territory for film-makers, from David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago to Warren Beatty’s Reds. But we haven’t seen that much of revolutionary Russia on screen in recent years, possibly because the Russia we know today has more than enough drama going on in real time.
But that changes this week on Paramount+ when Ewan McGregor becomes Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov, the leading man in Amor Towles’s bestseller A Gentleman in Moscow.
McGregor makes a wonderful Count, who is locked in a gilded cage after he strikes a deal with his Bolshevik captors to escape the firing squad as long as he doesn’t leave his grand hotel. It’s a story of confinement and romance as Rostov falls for a film star, Anna Urbanova, who is played by McGregor’s wife, Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
What’s it like to play opposite your other half on screen? And how does that affect your performance, not least your approach to sex scenes? McGregor answers all these questions in a revealing interview in this issue, in which he also talks about family, his four daughters, accents and, of course, Star Wars.
Also in this week’s Radio Times:
- Diane Morgan on her pet peeves in comedy dramas, working with David Bowie’s son and not learning any lines for new sci-fi film Rogue Trooper
- Sue Johnston and Ricky Tomlinson chat about Channel 4’s Ricky, Sue and a Trip or Two, whether The Royle Family’s Barbara and Jim would still be together and achievements throughout their career
- Speaking to The Radio Times Podcast: Bryony Gordon discusses eating disorders, the impact of writing books, alcoholism and the role gender plays in media consumption
A Gentleman in Moscow will debut on Friday 29th March on Paramount+. Visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide or take a look at the rest of our Drama coverage.
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