Ewan McGregor has been a staple of the silver screen for more than 20 years, ever since his breakout role in Trainspotting.
The Scottish actor, 53, has also lived a highly publicised life due to his A-list status, including his divorce from his first wife Eve Mavrakis, for which he cited irreconcilable differences back in January 2018.
By that point, the couple had four children: Clara, 28, Esther, 23, Jamyan, 23, and Anouk, 14. The two youngest were both adopted, and the stories of both of their adoptions are absolutely incredible.
Ewan and Eve adopted Jamyan in 2006
When he was filming a TV series in Mongolia, Ewan visited a children’s shelter and met Jamyan. He opened up more about the experience in his documentary series, Long Way Up.
© Getty Images for Critics Choice“I left that day, but I couldn’t stop thinking about that little girl,” he revealed. “It took nearly two years, but eventually we adopted Jamyan.”
At his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony last September, Ewan spoke more about her, proudly saying: “Jamyan, my beautiful daughter Jamyan, I’m not going to be acting with Jamyan because Jamyan is going to be a homicide detective.”
The couple adopted Anouk in 2011
When she was just four months old, Anouk was adopted by Ewan and Eve. As the youngest child of the couple, she is the one whom they kept most private, hence little is known about her.
© Getty ImagesEwan also spoke about Anouk at the ceremony in September, saying: “Anouk, who’s too young to be [an actor] yet, is an amazing human being. I don’t know what you’re going to be, but we’ll find out.”
Ewan McGregor on adoption
Speaking to Variety last year about A Gentleman in Moscow, the husband of Mary Elizabeth Winstead opened up about how he resonated with his character, who becomes a caretaker for a young girl.
He said: “I realised while we were shooting, like, ‘Oh, this is an adoption story’. I like that part of it because I love that part of my life.”
The Star Wars star continued: “I think it’s true that we are two different people before we have children and after we have children – you don’t have this responsibility to another human life, you don’t ever experience it until somebody calls you Dad.”
