Ewan McGregor follows ‘more Jewish, than Christian’ beliefs
Last Days in the Desert actor starring as Jesus follows traditions of French-Jewish wife Eve Mavraki
Francine Wolfisz is the Features Editor for Jewish News.
Ewan McGregor admits he follows more Jewish beliefs than the Christian traditions he was brought up with.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, the 45-year-old Scottish actor, who will soon star as Jesus Christ in the forthcoming Last Days In The Desert, revealed he is more involved with the traditions of his French-Jewish wife, Eve Mavrakis.
McGregor said: “I’m not a religious person. I’m married to a Jewish woman, so my children are Jewish and my involvement in religion has more to do with the Jewish faith now and not the Christian faith, which I was very vaguely brought up in.”
The celebrated actor and his wife, a production designer, have four daughters and live in Los Angeles, California.
McGregor was speaking ahead of his latest dual roles as the Son of God and the Devil in Rodrigo Garcia’s film, out in June.
The star has also been busy directing an adaptation of Philip Roth’s 1960s-set novel American Pastoral, in which he plays a Jewish character, Swede Levov.
Last Days In The Desert is out in UK cinemas on June 30.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
