Ewan McGregor says 'Birds of Prey' delivers powerful message on misogyny
Ewan McGregor has transformed into an array of characters on the silver screen -- from a Jedi Master in galaxies far, far away to a Disney prince and now a comic book supervillain -- but the actor said his latest role in "Birds of Prey" delivers a powerful message that translates far beyond the movie theater.
McGregor joined "Good Morning America" Wednesday and discussed what it was like to be a part of the all-female superhero movie, produced by Oscar-nominee Margot Robbie who also stars as Harley Quinn.
"It's just about time, you know, for a female-driven superhero movie," he said. "I was proud to be a part of that."
However, his on-screen persona Roman -- aka Black Mask -- has a polar opposite set of ideals, according to the actor "he's a misogynist."
"He comes from a very rich family, he's been sort of thrown out by the family and he's trying to prove himself to his father and he's full of rage," McGregor explained. "Bad people don't think they're bad, they've got reasons for being the way they are so you try and understand him."
McGregor said "the film deals with misogyny in a very extreme way."
It's "peppered with that sort of everyday misogyny that women have to put up with" from men, he noted. "It's a good message to put out there to remind guys that those days are over."
McGregor will soon reprise his classic "Star Wars" role for a new Disney+ series.
Without revealing too many details, McGregor said the show, centered on Obi-Wan Kenobi, has been in pre-production since the summer and shooting starts early next year.
"There are scripts that I've read that are really good. They're continuing to write on them to make them even better," he said. "I'm excited about it."
Since his last time on a "Star Wars" set was back in 2003 for "Revenge of the Sith," McGregor said he has found the new spinoffs and sagas to be a pivotal part of his preparation.
"I'm reminding myself by watching their new films and 'The Mandalorian' and stuff, which I really enjoyed. So I've keep myself current with the Lucasfilm world," he explained.
"I don't think it'll take two minutes," he said about getting back in the mindset of the iconic Jedi role. "I'll put the cloak back on and it'll be there I think."
