Ewan McGregor: How 'Long Way' Docuseries Changed His Life
Ewan McGregor shares how the Long Way Home docuseries has profoundly changed his life, highlighting its significance and the unforgettable experiences gained through his motorcycle journeys.
The Long Way Home series, the fourth installment in a series that began with 2004's Long Way Round, follows friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman on another epic motorcycle adventure. This time, their journey takes them from McGregor's home in Scotland to Boorman's in England, but via an adventurous route through fifteen countries.
At a recent event, a new clip from an upcoming episode of the series was shown, depicting McGregor and Boorman enjoying a sunny day on the road. This was a welcome change given the amount of rain they encountered during their trip.
McGregor described the Long Way series as "a very, very important part of my life." He added, "The four trips we've done, we couldn't have imagined when we started doing Long Way Round that it would lead to all of the places we've seen and all the people we've met and all of the experiences we've gone through together...The Long Way trips have become something really special to me.”
The Challenges and Rewards of Motorcycle Journey Filming
Boorman agreed that filming the Long Way Home series is fulfilling, but also noted the challenges involved. "It is always a lot more work than you think when you are doing these jobs," he said, recalling training for Long Way Round 20 years ago. "We didn't really have a clue what we were doing… and we still are not really that sure about what we do!"
He shared a piece of advice from an ex-SAS member: "'Charley, if you can get to the start line – and it's so hard to get to that start line – then the adventure part is easy.’ That's the easy part because you've done all the hard work at the beginning to set things up, to get everything going. And that's the truth for anybody who does any journey.”
Despite the professional nature of filming the series, McGregor emphasized that it feels different from his acting work. "It’s a different thing. It doesn't, to me, feel like part of my acting work. It's not. It's a different thing that I do and I love it. I love it very much.”
Boorman added that even with experience, unexpected challenges arise. He recounted starting Long Way Home: "We hadn't ridden together for a little while and we left Ewan’s house and we went down the road and we had these old bikes and we looked great. We had all the gear on that you want, and we got down to the end of his driveway and it started to rain and we had all the wrong clothes on, and we were putting on all these waterproofs. And Ewan looked at me and he said, ‘Charlie, we've been doing this for 20 years… You would've thought we'd learn something!’ But off we went and it rained for four weeks.”
Asked about memorable locations from the four series, both men Mongolia from Long Way Round. Boorman described Mongolia as "an extraordinary place that kind of tested us on every level.”
A Life-Changing Decision in Mongolia
McGregor shared a particularly meaningful story about their time in Mongolia. Due to challenging weather and terrain, they considered detouring into Russia. He recalled calling one of the show's creators, David Alexanian, to their plan.
McGregor recounted, "David sort of talked me out of it. He said, ‘Look, don't bail out of Mongolia just because it's hard. This place is amazing.’” Thanks to Alexanian's encouragement, they continued to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia's capital.
“When we were there, we had a UNICEF visit with kids who live in the streets and in the winter they live underground near to the heating pipes because it's so cold there. And the next day we went to this identification center where these kids, when the police find them, they take them to this place. And we met a little girl there who is called Jamyan, who became my daughter. I adopted her with my ex-wife, Eve.”
McGregor emphasized the profound impact of that decision. “If we had turned left, I never would've met her. And her life and our lives would all have been very, very different. And so it's a funny moment to be able to look back in time and go, ‘Jesus, that one choice to go left or straight on really affected our lives.’”
Unlike some actors who separate their roles from personal experiences, McGregor embraces his cinematic history during his travels. He even jokingly used the Force to open an elevator door. He laughed, "It's something that's difficult to not do when there's an automatic door. It's just like a tick.”
New episodes of Long Way Home are released weekly. The Long Way Home series has clearly left an indelible mark on Ewan McGregor's life, offering both challenges and deeply meaningful experiences.