Ewan McGregor Used to Show His Kids the Toilet Scene in ‘Trainspotting’ for a Laugh

When I watch Trainspotting, Danny Boyle’s 1996 smash hit black comedy about a clan of Scottish, scampish skag-addicts, somehow, the first phrase that jumps to mind isn’t “daddy-daughter bonding time.”

Then again, I’m not Ewan McGregor, nor are many of us lucky enough to say that we can have a laugh with our daughters over footage of us shitting our brains out in one of the best films of the 1990s, besides Obi-Wan and possibly Jeff Daniels. Speaking to Variety yesterday, McGregor discussed the unique relationship between his duties as a father and as a movie star, including his daughter Clara’s tearful reaction to Moulin Rouge and his recurring practice of showing his kids the “worst toilet in Scotland” Trainspotting scene — and only that scene — to get a laugh out of them when they were young.

“I did used to show my kids ‘the toilet scene.’ Just for a laugh,” McGregor told Variety. “It’s a unique situation, perhaps, for a father to be able to show his children footage of him going down the toilet” — when he says “perhaps,” I think means “hopefully.”