Ewan McGregor Quotes

People recognize me from everything and as soon as I think I know where they know me from, I'm always wrong.

There are some people who know who I am but there are a lot of people that have no idea who I am - which is not to say that that's a bad thing.

As you become famous you lose some of your anonymity, which is wonderful for an actor to have because you can observe people and also people don't have such a strong sense of who you are and that sort of thing.

I think I'm actually in denial that I'm famous, it only sinks in when people crowd in the streets. My friends treat me like a regular person, which is what I wanted.

Sometimes I think people are famous because they're themselves and they do a role and you see them do it.

In London I'm out and about all the time. I walk everywhere, so people do recognise me and they've probably seen me before so they're not bothered anymore. But I think that's a good thing because if you try and remain mysterious people are surprised when they see you. With me, I think they're just bored of seeing me - but that suits me just fine because I like to live as much of a normal life as I can. That's why I love living in London. People are very respectful of your privacy. If they see you having a coffee in a coffee shop, they're not going to interrupt you.

For me, I didn't want to be famous and there was a desire to be me and not 'that guy from the band' so I was happy to see it all go.

I never assume people are going to recognize me.

I think if you feel weird and self-conscious about that kind of stuff - which happened to me at some points - that means your ego is really kicking in. You can understand how people get to be assholes in music business because it's like you're getting pumped full of your own thing so much, you get ungrounded. That's a dangerous place to be.

The only way to be turned off to being famous is to be famous. And I only have like a tiny, tiny bit of that, and I'm already disgusted by it. But I realize that the only way to be disgusted by fame is to be famous, because otherwise it looks amazing. Then people stop you on the street, and it's like the most annoying thing in the world. The first time it happened it's great, and then the second time you have to shake somebody's hand.

It's amazing how I'm able to ride around on a bike. People kind of see it's me but since I'm on a bike, they think, "No, it's not her." And by the time they realize it's me, I'm already gone.

I used to think it's better if you just live and die and no one knows who you are.

I never liked to be pigeon-holed and I never liked people to think that they know who I am. I like to keep people guessing.

People expect it to be easy because there you are, out there, doing the thing that you want and making lots of money out of it. But, you know, I'm not that smooth. I can get clumsy around certain people. Like if I were to sit down and think, 'OK, I'm really famous, how am I going to conduct myself in public?' I wouldn't know who that person would be! It would be a lot easier if I could, but I can't.

I think gender plays a part in most things, but I don't know how it would be different because I've never been a man. And my fame is different from Nicole Kidman's or Sharon Stone's. I think everybody's fame is different.

It's wonderful to be famous as long as you remain unknown.

I don't think I'm prepared for life in the spotlight. I don't even think I'm really prepared now, but I still don't really feel like I'm in the spotlight a lot. I'm not a household name. I'm not followed around by paparazzi. I still have a very normal life. I'd love as many people to know and like my music as possible, but there's something quite lovely about being able to still go and watch your boys play football.

In New York, no one really cares who the hell you are. It's strange to be in the public eye where people have a perception of who you are, when they have never even met you.

If you get your face and your name out there enough, people will start to recognize you.

If you're an actor, you know people are going to recognize you in a restaurant. If you're a rock star, you know people are going to stop you on the street and ask you for your autograph. But as an author? That's not something I was ready for.

My agent pointed out one day that I had been quoted by a columnist in some American newspaper, and he noted with some glee that they simply identified me by name without reminding people who I was, apparently in the clear expectation that their readers would know who I am.

Privately I think that I'm not really somebody who has a network television show. Celebrities are other people - Johnny Carson and Sylvester Stallone. I'm just a kid trying to make a living is the way I feel.

Popularity means people think they know you.

I'll never, ever think of myself as famous, even if I ever get to the point of George Clooney... because I Think you might go crazy if you start reffering to yourself in those terms.

Success for some people, depends on becoming well-known, for others it depends on never being found out.