Ewan McGregor covers the January issue of Nylon Guys to promote the upcoming Steven Soderberg-directed action flick, Haywire, in which Gina Carano will kick the crap out of Ewan’s ass along with many others. The interview spans several pages and many topics including Ewan’s passion for motorcycles, bagpipes, and Lay’s potato chips. He also loves VW vans and took the journalist on a little joyride and picnic during their talk. Clearly, his female co-stars are very fond of him, which only really means that he’s not an on-set douche. And as Kaiser has noted before, the rumors of his on-set dalliances could be just rumors. Or not. Maybe he does really have an open marriage? Ewan’s been married to his wife, Eve Mavrakis (with whom he recently adopted a fourth child), for sixteen years, yet he was spotted spotted last year hand in hand with Melanie Laurent. This interview might provide a little more insight into Eve and Ewan’s relationship, particularly within the last excerpt:

Emily Blunt on Ewan: “Ewan and his toys! He has so many toys. The bikes and the Minis and the cars and the vans. Any time he can get a new toy, he will. It’s sort of this very endearing obsession that he has.” What was he into on set? “He bought tome bagpipes! I love that he was driving you around in his camper van. if it was anyone else than Ewan it might come across as a proposition, but because it’s Ewan…”

Gina Carano on Ewan: “He’s just such a natural, beautiful person. It was really cool when we were [shooting] in Barcelona, I had been so used to working with some of the other actors, but Ewan’s presence is so natural, it’s almost intimidating. And he’s not a prima donna — he doesn’t require special treatment. Every time I think of Ewan, a big smile comes to my face because I’m just happy to know that somebody like that exists in the world.”

On His Casual Style: “I think people are so narrow-minded about a lot of things, especially fashion on the red carpet, that if you’re a man and you’re not wearing a suit and tie, then you didn’t really dress up. I like to find things that are different. I don’t want to look like everybody else necessarily, because I don’t really feel like everybody else.”

On the British Film Industry: “I don’t feel any need to support it. I was always work in British stories because I am British and I’m drawn to them, but I don’t feel any special desire or need to make a British film every year because there were years when they didn’t support me, you know? We struggled like f–k to get Young Adam made, and we had me and Tilda Swinton and an amazing script and a talented young director. At that point I thought, I’ve spent my whole life working in Britain and rejecting American films… That’s when I realized we’re on our own. What really annoys me is during Oscar season, everyone gets really wrapped in that itle. Then it’s on the front pages; BRITS CLEAN UP AT THE OSCARS! And for one night we get really supportive of the British, but in actual fact, it’s more of a ‘stick it to the Americans’ sort of thing. It’s such hypocrisy; I find it so distasteful. I also don’t live there anymore, so I have no right to talk about it, really.”

On His Home Life: McGregor lives with his wife of 16 years (Eve Mavrakis, a production designer) and their four daughters, in a 1920s Spanish-style house in Brentood, where they relocated three years ago from London. The idea of being perceived as a family man, however, seems to grate on him. “My wife is my best friend, she’s the person I discuss everything with, so of course she’s hugely a part of my experience,” he says, taking a swig of Diet Coke. “But I wouldn’t like to read that my family has to be grounding me. I hate people writing things like that. Because at the same time, my work is still quite heady and wonderful and weird… I don’t live my life for my family, but we live our lives together.”

[From Nylon Guys]

The entire interview is quite lengthy and at times quite dull, but of course I’m fixated on the “I don’t live my life for my family, but we live our lives together” quote. What does that even mean? That Ewan and his wife do their own things (including sexual things) yet always come home to each other? Perhaps I’m reading too much into those words, but it just seems like an odd sentiment for a “family man” to express in a print publication, but maybe that was the point of the whole exercise.

Now about this photoshoot — Ewan looks dashingly handsome as always, but he’d look even more fetching if those boots were paired with a kilt.

Photos corutesy of Nylon Guys and the Fashion Spot