Ewen Bremner is a Scottish actor who gained wide recognition after the release of Danny Boyle's films "Trainspotting" and "Acid House", as well as the blockbusters "Pearl Harbor" and "Black Hawk Down". One of his most recent significant appearances was in the biographical film "Creation Stories".
Ewen Bremner
Childhood
Ewan was born on January 23, 1972, in the Scottish city of Edinburgh, into an intellectual family of art teachers. The boy attended Davidson's primary school, followed by Portobello high school.
From an early age, Ewan displayed artistic inclinations, dreaming of working as a circus clown.
Although Bremner didn't end up with such an unusual profession, he had an opportunity to enter the film industry at a fairly young age. However, he sees a lot of similarities between cinema and the circus: "You're constantly going off to shoot for several months in different corners of the globe. Quite circusesque."
Acting Career
The young man made his debut in the 1986 film "Heavenly Pursuits" directed by Charles Gormley, where he played a schoolboy from Glasgow. He also starred in the feature-length adaptation of William McIlvanney's story "Dreaming" (1990) produced by BBC Scotland.
Ewen Bremner in his youth
Bremner's career gradually progressed. He regularly appeared in films, but did not receive leading roles for a long time. In 1993, he appeared in Mike Leigh's film "Naked" as Archie.
Scene from the movie 'Naked'
From 1994 to 1996, Ewen appeared in the series "Inspector Alleyn Mysteries" and "A Touch of Frost", the adventure drama "Prince of Jutland", the superhero action movie "Judge Dredd", the film "Skin" and in the screen adaptation of the eponymous work of English writer Edith Nesbit "The Phoenix and the Carpet".
Bremner in the movie 'Judge Dredd'
In 1996, the actor gained worldwide fame for his role as the dim-witted drug addict nicknamed Spud in the cult film "Trainspotting" by British director Danny Boyle, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh. The film tells not only about drug addiction, but also about the vulgarity of consumer society. In 2009, the film was recognized as the best in British cinema over the past quarter century.
Ewen Bremner as Spud
Interestingly, director Danny Boyle found the actor on the theater stage. Bremner played in the staging of the novel "Trainspotting", even playing the lead role – Mark Renton (in the film this role went to Ewan McGregor). Therefore, Bremner seriously thought about refusing Boyle's offer – he didn't want to go "downgrade". But in the end he agreed and did not regret it.
Ewen Bremner and Ewan McGregor
The overwhelming success of the film forced Ewen to take a break from further shootings to decide whether he really wanted to continue his acting career. Changes occurred in his life, and not only positive ones:
This changed all my relationships to the outside world. I started to be recognized on the streets, which never happened before! I lost my anonymity. And I realized that I hadn't appreciated it before...
So while Ewan McGregor and other actors from the quartet of drug-addict friends – Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle – were conquering the cinema, Bremner almost disappeared from the screens.
Trainspotting - Spud's job interview
In 1997, he made an exception for Michael Haussman and his "Rhino Season", and in 1998 he worked again with Danny Boyle in the screen adaptation of another Irvine Welsh novel – "The Acid House". Ewen played the lead role in the third novella. Here his character is a football fan who swaps bodies with a baby under the influence of drugs and a lightning strike.
Scene from 'The Acid House'
Another pivotal year for the actor was 1999. Ewen got a role in the film by American director Harmony Korine "Julien Donkey-Boy". Ewen Bremner played a guy suffering from schizophrenia.
Ewen in 'Julien Donkey-Boy'
This film is one of the so-called "Dogme 95" movement films. Its founder Lars von Trier, a film director from Denmark, in 1995 explained the essence of this movement – films should be shot on a portable camera, without traditional editing, staging or lighting, devoid of genre definition and "imaginary" acting actions.
After shooting with Harmony Korine, the actor named his newborn daughter after the director of the project.
In 2001, Ewen transformed into a small-time thug nicknamed Mullet in the film "Snatch" by British director Guy Ritchie.
Scene from 'Snatch'
His popularity in Hollywood was brought by the blockbusters "Pearl Harbor" and "Black Hawk Down", although he only appeared in small roles in the films. In an interview with the BBC after filming "Pearl Harbor", he admitted: "Working with American actors was quite difficult, but the reason is that this was the first such large-scale project for me".
Bremner in 'Black Hawk Down'
In 2002-2004, Ewen appeared in the series "Spooks", the films "16 Years of Alcohol", "The Rundown", "The Reckoning" and the screen adaptation of Jules Verne's adventure novel "Around the World in 80 Days".
Ewen Bremner at the premiere of 'Around the World in 80 Days'
In 2004, Bremner received one of the main roles in the horror movie "Alien vs. Predator", playing scientist Graeme Miller. The film was a flop and in 2015 it won several awards at well-known anti-awards. The "Golden Raspberry" recognized the film as the worst remake of the year.
As Graeme Miller
In 2009, Ewen starred in the mini-series "The Day of the Triffids" about a post-apocalyptic world in which people are blinded and carnivorous plants threaten all living things on Earth.
Scene from 'The Day of the Triffids'
Woody Allen's film "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger" brought Ewen the role of Henry Strangler. In 2011, Bremner starred alongside Ewan McGregor, Eva Green and Connie Nielsen in the science fiction drama "Perfect Sense". The director of the film is David Mackenzie. Bremner played James, the partner of the main character.
With the actors of 'Perfect Sense'
Ewen's next significant work was the role of Wemmick, Pip's friend, in the 2012 adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel "Great Expectations". His co-stars on the set were Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes.
Scene from 'Great Expectations'
A year later, Ewen starred in the post-apocalyptic thriller by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho "Snowpiercer", the fantasy film "Jack the Giant Slayer", as well as the lead role in the short film "Drone". The latter tells the story of a military drone operator. Arriving at work earlier than usual one day, he starts to think about what he's doing, that with one turn of the joystick he's directing a lethal missile at a person unknown to him on the other side of the world.
Bremner in 'Jack the Giant Slayer'
The actor's 2014 was truly productive. More than five films with his participation were released, among which were the political thriller "Turks & Caicos", the detective drama "Salting the Battlefield" and the adventure fairy tale "Get Santa".
Scene from 'Get Santa'
In 2017, Bremner returned to the role of Spud in the sequel to "Trainspotting", for which he received the BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Actor. Despite returning to heroin and divorcing his wife, Spud proves to be the most human of all the former friends, and in the end he discovers a writing talent and publishes his memoirs.
Ewen Bremner in 'T2 Trainspotting'
The filming of "T2" was initially met with hostility by fans. But as Ewen Bremner recalled later, the reaction of the viewers pleased him. People didn't expect the sequel to be so deep and emotional. They were pleasantly surprised and grateful that we didn't spoil anything. After all, the first "Trainspotting" is still deeply ingrained in many people's hearts.
How Ewen Bremner's character has changed
A slightly less interesting appearance was his role in the superhero film "Wonder Woman" directed by Patty Jenkins, where Bremner played Charlie, a once gifted sniper who lost his ability to shoot due to post-traumatic stress disorder. That same year, Ewen produced the short film No Song to Sing.
Scene from 'Wonder Woman'
Personal Life of Ewen Bremner
Ewen's biography is not filled with tumultuous romances. In the 90s, he dated actress Marcia Rose, whom he met on the set of the short film "Skin". In 1999, the couple had a daughter, Harmony, but the young people never married. Later, their paths diverged.
In the photo: Marcia Rose
Bremner's daughter also pursued an acting career. In 2016, she starred in the short film "Carousel", directed by her father in collaboration with Cal Weber.
Ewen's daughter – Harmony Rose Bremner
Ewen Bremner Now
The actor continues to appear in films. Since 2020, Ewen has been involved in the comedy series "Our Flag Means Death". The film is based on the real story of aristocrat Stede Bonnet, who left a privileged life to fulfill his dream of becoming a pirate. The premiere took place in early 2022.
Ewen Bremner as Buttons (Our Flag Means Death)
In 2021, the biographical film "Creation Stories" premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival. The creators of the "Trainspotting" franchise, Danny Boyle and Irvine Welsh, directed the film, telling the life story of Alan McGee, one of the most scandalous music producers in the world.
Ewen Bremner in the movie 'Creation Stories'
The script is based on McGee's autobiographical book "Creation Stories: Riots, Raves and Running a Record Label". The lead role went to Bremner, who stood out among other candidates for the role not only with his acting performance but also his physical resemblance to the prototype.
