Danny Boyle admits he treated Ewan McGregor 'badly'

Danny Boyle has said that he treated Ewan McGregor badly over the casting of his film 'The Beach'.

The director, who had cast McGregor in his films 'Shallow Grave', 'Trainspotting' and 'A Life Less Ordinary' snubbed McGregor in favour of Leonardo DiCaprio for the adaptation of Alex Garland's gap-year essential.

[Related story: Danny Boyle planning Trainspotting sequel]

“We didn't treat him very well, I've got to be honest about it, we didn't behave at our best,” he told Jonathan Ross.

“You learn and we've apologised. We made this film called The Beach, and we gave Ewan the impression we were going to cast him in it and we didn't cast him in it, we cast another actor, a wonderful actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who was a lovely guy, they're both wonderful.

“You think you're moving up, it's the illusion that you think you're moving up, therefore you're going to need a bigger star to sell the movie. You learn to stick with your roots.”

Boyle also added to the excitement around the possibility of a sequel to 'Trainspotting', based on Irvine Welsh's book 'Porno'.

“It's going to look at the same actors playing the same parts but 20 years later,” he said.

“Like a 7 Up, 14 Up, 21 Up, I always find those things amazing. Seeing time pass with people that you're familiar with. I think to see (Ewan) go back to Renton, to see Bobby Carlyle go back to Begbie, I'd like to see that.

“We're going to try and do T2, if James Cameron will let us use that title.”

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