Latest news with #EwanMcGregor
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Former child star Matt Doran teases Home and Away return after surprise Star Wars fan revival
He's best known to Aussie soap fans as Damian Roberts from Home and Away. But Matt Doran has spent years quietly building a cult following thanks to his roles in two of the biggest film franchises on the planet: Star Wars and The Matrix. Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the actor and father-of-two has opened about life after fame, the double life of being a dad and a sci-fi icon, and why he's never ruled out a return to Summer Bay. Speaking ahead of a fan convention appearance, Doran, 48, admitted he once felt 'strange' attending sci-fi expos like Supanova – until he realised just how much love fans had for his characters. 'Whoever comes up to have a chat, they obviously know my work. It's such a great reminder of how lucky I've been to be part of these iconic films,' he said. Doran – who played Mouse in The Matrix and the infamous 'death sticks' dealer Elan Sleazebaggano in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones – said his brief scene in George Lucas' space opera left a huge impression on fans. 'Little did I know such a small role would be so well received,' he laughed. 'They love it. Everyone comes up and asks, 'Are you the death sticks guy?' The role, just three lines opposite Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi, was written by Lucas himself after initially asking Doran to audition for a CGI character. 'I thought, it's Star Wars, of course I'm going to jump at the chance. But the fact that it became so iconic… I still get people asking me to sign cigarette packets because of the death sticks line!' Despite the blink-and-you'll-miss-it role, Doran has his own Star Wars figurine – and proudly revealed his daughters and mum still have them in their boxes. 'I found a few in a London toy shop and brought them back. My nephews broke theirs straight away, of course,' he laughed. 'But I've kept a couple – they're pretty special.' When asked if he'd return to the Star Wars universe, Doran didn't hesitate. 'I've seen fan theories on YouTube that explore what happened to Elan after Obi-Wan told him to 'go home and rethink his life'. I like to believe he didn't. He's probably still pushing death sticks somewhere in the galaxy!' The Aussie actor is also a favourite among The Matrix fans – with his explosive death scene as Mouse still a major talking point. 'I call it my Tony Montana moment,' he joked. 'Me with two massive machine guns going out in a blaze of glory. It's actually the photo I sign the most at Supanova.' Doran says the difference between Star Wars and The Matrix was stark. 'My Star Wars role was shot in a day – it took longer to get through security than film it. The Matrix was about nine weeks of shooting over nine months. You had time to bond with the cast and crew.' He added that reading the Matrix script was a rare moment where 'you just knew' the film would be a hit. 'They actually brought that script to life exactly how I read it. Usually when I watch something I've done, the magic's gone. But The Matrix still pulls me in – I forget I'm even in it.' And what about a Matrix reboot? 'I always joke that I don't care about the sequels because I died in the first one,' he said. 'But honestly, nothing beats the original.' Doran, who now lives in Sydney with his young children, said acting is still his passion – even if family life takes priority. 'I've been acting since I was 12. I still audition and take roles when I can. It's part of me – always has been.' He recently starred in a psychological thriller Intersection, now streaming on YouTube. The one-man film, shot just before the pandemic, features Doran in nearly every scene. 'It's just me in a car, talking on the phone, trying to get my son back. It's low-budget, but from an acting perspective, it was a great challenge.' Despite often being confused with other high-profile Aussie names - including former Sunrise presenter Matt Doran – the actor said he's 'the OG.' 'There are three of us – the Sunrise Matt, the ABC journalist, and me. I'm the original Matt Doran,' he laughed. And for Home and Away fans wondering what became of Damian Roberts? 'He flunked uni, became a photographer, then joined the priesthood – didn't see that one coming!' he said. While Doran is unsure if a return to Home and Away is on the cards, he admitted he wouldn't say no. 'I still have the classic dream where I'm back on the Home and Away set but can't remember any of my lines. Maybe that's the universe telling me something.' He remains in touch with co-star Tina Thomsen, who played his sister Finlay, and says a reunion special – like Neighbours pulled off for its finale – would be a treat for fans. 'I think people would love it. I'd be happy to come back. Bring Damian out of the priesthood and back to Summer Bay!' And when he's not acting or signing figurines, Doran is focused on being a hands-on dad.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
John Cena will headline the 2025 Fan Expo in Boston. Here's the full celebrity lineup.
The new 2025 Boston Fan Expo lineup has been announced, and fans of popular franchises like "Star Wars," "Harry Potter," "Lord of the Rings," and WWE will be excited. West Newbury native, WWE star, and actor John Cena will headline the festival. Other beloved actors will also appear, including Orlando Bloom, Jared Padalecki, John Boyega, Jason Isaacs, and the iconic "Star Wars" duo, Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor. Here is the full list of celebrity appearances: John Cena, WWE, and "Peacemaker" Ewan McGregor, "Star Wars" Hayden Christensen, "Star Wars" John Boyega, "Star Wars" Giancarlo Esposito, "The Mandalorian" and "Breaking Bad" Manny Jacinto, "The Acolyte" and "The Good Place" Orlando Bloom, "The Lord of the Rings," and "Pirates of the Caribbean" John Rhys-Davies, "The Lord of the Rings" and "Indiana Jones" Jason Isaacs, "The White Lotus," and "Harry Potter" Helen Hunt, "Twisters" Simon Pegg, "Star Trek," and "Mission: Impossible" Christopher Mintz-Plasse, "Superbad," and "Kick-Ass" Catherine Tate, "Doctor Who" Kellan Lutz, "Twilight" Peter Facinelli, "Twilight" Jared Padalecki, "Supernatural" and "Gilmore Girls" Mark Sheppard, "Supernatural" Jim Beaver, "Supernatural" Mark Pellegrino, "Supernatural" Alexander Calvert, "Supernatural" Ruth Connell, "Supernatural" DJ Qualls, "Supernatural" Samantha Smith, "Supernatural" Jennifer Beals, "Flashdance," and "The L Word" Voice actors from the popular animated TV show "Avatar: The Last Airbender" will also appear, including Dante Basco, Michaela Jill Murphy, and Greg Baldwin. Hudson Thames from the Marvel Studios show, "Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." 2025 Fan Expo in Boston Fans will have the opportunity to take photos with their favorite stars, participate in Q&A panels, workshops, seminars, and autograph signings. The festival also features hundreds of retailers and a cosplay contest with a $1,000 prize for the winner. The exhibition will take place from August 8 through August 10 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston's Seaport neighborhood. Tickets start at $39 for a general admission ticket to the expo. Autographs and photo-ops are not included with ticket sales. For more information about the event, click here.
Daily Mail
13-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ewan McGregor's nepo baby daughter Esther shows off her quirky sense of style in a sequin crop top at We Were Liars world premiere in New York City
Esther McGregor showed off her quirky sense of style as she attended the world premiere of We Were Liars in New York City on Tuesday. The actress, 23, who plays Mirren Sinclair in the Prime Video series, wore a green sequinned crop top for the event. She teamed it with a matching mini skirt and completed her outfit with a pair of black sling back heels. Esther was joined on the red carpet by her castmates Joseph Zada, Shubham Maheshwari and Emily Alyn Lind. The series, made by The Vampire Diaries creator Julie Plec, tells the story of a young woman struggling to piece together memories of a fateful summer after suffering a head injury. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. It unfolds as she and her close-knit group navigate a world of privilege, secrets, and ultimately, tragedy. Based on E. Lockhart's novel, all episodes of We Were Liars will premier on June 18 on Prime Video. Esther recently admitted that she 'lived and breathed' film sets while growing up with parents Ewan McGregor - whose career exploded following the release of Danny Boyle's Trainspotting in 1996 - and Eve Mavrakis, a French production designer. The actress has already worked alongside her famous father twice, having taken small roles in Star Wars spin-off Obi Wan and director Emma Westenberg's drama Bleeding Love - which also stars her older sister Clara. More recently, she featured in Halina Reijn's erotic thriller Babygirl alongside Nicole Kidman, Antonio Banderas and Harris Dickinson. Speaking in a recent interview with ELLE, Esther admitted her early exposure to the frenetic environment on set fuelled her own passion for acting. She said: 'I definitely came out singing, for sure. But being in close proximity to anything will build its charm - I immediately fell in love with it. 'I want to give the gratitude that I think deserves its place, in terms of being raised in a family in film. Being able to be on sets really aided that love and that breath and that heartbeat.' The series follows a group of young adults who have their friendship tested as one friend tries to piece together the events leading to her near-death experience She added: 'As much as I don't think I would be able to do anything else, who knows? It was the way that I was born, the world I was born into. So I feel very thankful that I'm able to do what I do, because I need it.' Her father told The Late Late Show With James Corden in 2022 what it was like to work with her after she appeared alongside him in the Disney+ miniseries, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Ewan said: 'I'm sure everybody thinks she got the job because of me, but really she didn't. She auditioned for the role. 'You don't really know with your kids until that moment when I was acting with her and it felt really normal and natural.'
Rhyl Journal
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Rhyl Journal
Indiana Jones' whip, the Rosebud sled and Culkin's Home Alone cap up for auction
The Summer Entertainment Auction, being held July 15-19 by Heritage Auctions, also includes sci-fi gems from the Star Wars galaxy like a filming miniature of Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter used in The Empire Strikes Back, and the lightsabers brandished by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in Revenge Of The Sith. The Rosebud sled from the title character's childhood sits at the centre of Orson Welles' 1941 Citizen Kane. It is the last word tycoon Charles Foster Kane speaks before his death at the opening of the film that is regarded by many critics groups as the greatest ever made. Long thought lost, the sled is one of three of the prop known to have survived. It is owned by Gremlins director Joe Dante, who stumbled on it when he was filming on the former RKO Pictures lot in 1984. Dante was not a collector, but knew the value of the sled and quietly preserved it for decades, putting it as an Easter egg into four of his own films. Ford gave the Indiana Jones whip going up for auction to then-Prince Charles at the 1989 UK premiere of The Last Crusade. It was given as a gift to Diana, Princess of Wales – who gave it to the current owner. 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects,' Joe Maddalena, Heritage's executive vice president, said in a statement. 'They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time.' Also going up for sale are a blue velvet suit that Mike Myers wore as Austin Powers in Goldmember, and a Citroen 2CV driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in For Your Eyes Only, one of the films Myers was parodying. The auction also includes essential artefacts from the collection of director Cecil B DeMille, including a promotional pair of the titular tablets from DeMille's The Ten Commandments, which the director had cut from stone from Mount Sinai.
Glasgow Times
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Indiana Jones' whip, the Rosebud sled and Culkin's Home Alone cap up for auction
The Summer Entertainment Auction, being held July 15-19 by Heritage Auctions, also includes sci-fi gems from the Star Wars galaxy like a filming miniature of Luke Skywalker's X-wing starfighter used in The Empire Strikes Back, and the lightsabers brandished by Ewan McGregor's Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen's Anakin Skywalker in Revenge Of The Sith. The Rosebud sled from the title character's childhood sits at the centre of Orson Welles' 1941 Citizen Kane. The Rosebud sled from the film Citizen Kane. (Heritage Auctions via AP) It is the last word tycoon Charles Foster Kane speaks before his death at the opening of the film that is regarded by many critics groups as the greatest ever made. Long thought lost, the sled is one of three of the prop known to have survived. It is owned by Gremlins director Joe Dante, who stumbled on it when he was filming on the former RKO Pictures lot in 1984. Dante was not a collector, but knew the value of the sled and quietly preserved it for decades, putting it as an Easter egg into four of his own films. A whip wielded by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade. (Heritage Auctions via AP) Ford gave the Indiana Jones whip going up for auction to then-Prince Charles at the 1989 UK premiere of The Last Crusade. It was given as a gift to Diana, Princess of Wales – who gave it to the current owner. 'These aren't just props. They're mythic objects,' Joe Maddalena, Heritage's executive vice president, said in a statement. 'They tell the story of Hollywood's greatest moments, one piece at a time.' Also going up for sale are a blue velvet suit that Mike Myers wore as Austin Powers in Goldmember, and a Citroen 2CV driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in For Your Eyes Only, one of the films Myers was parodying. The auction also includes essential artefacts from the collection of director Cecil B DeMille, including a promotional pair of the titular tablets from DeMille's The Ten Commandments, which the director had cut from stone from Mount Sinai.
