Ewan McGregor says gay roles aren’t risky

Ewan McGregor insists portraying a gay man in a movie is “no riskier” than playing a straight one.

The Scottish actor is best known for his roles in Star Wars, Trainspotting and Moulin Rouge!, with his acting career spanning a broad range of movie genres.

The 40-year-old starred in romantic comedy-drama I Love You Phillip Morris opposite Jim Carrey, which follows the burgeoning romance between two male inmates.

Despite receiving praise for experimenting with his sexuality in the role, Ewan insists the credit falls on deaf ears.

“I’ve had people try to give me compliments on Phillip Morris by telling me what a risky stretch it was to play someone who’s gay,” he told Attitude magazine.

“You have to put them right. It’s not riskier than anything else I’ve ever done. This is a character who is gay, but I don’t approach it by going, ‘I’m playing a gay character.’”

Ewan is glad he managed to convincingly portray a gay man. The Hollywood hunk is happy he has been able to play all different types of people throughout his career.

“It’s not like I’m only playing gay. What would you do if you were only playing gay? You can’t just do that. You have to play a character. So I try to explain that,” he said.