Ewan McGregor has been one of Hollywood’s hottest stars over the last 25 years, ever since he burst on the scene in Trainspotting. Since then, he’s been in the Star Wars franchise, Moulin Rouge! and most recently, Halston, but there’s another family member the entertainment industry is starting to buzz about: his 25-year-old daughter Clara McGregor.
The model and actress might not be a household name just yet, but Ewan better get ready to share the spotlight after protecting his daughter from the prying lenses of the paparazzi when she was younger. “My dad sheltered us very much from the public eye; this was his world, his career and we didn’t have anything to do with that, and rightfully so,” she explained to the Evening Standard. “I wasn’t thrown into the public eye before I had my own decision to put myself there. Clara calls her upbringing a “pretty normal childhood” because “it wasn’t all Hollywood and red carpets.”
Her dad is so confident in her talent that they are teaming up for a short film called Addi (and also stars Katie Holmes’ ex-boyfriend, Emilio Vitolo Jr.) “It’s a personal story very loosely inspired by personal events,” she revealed in an interview with Grazia. “I’m producing it, I’m acting in it and I was a part of the writing process with our writer. It is something that my dad and I are doing together. I’m excited.”
So get to know Clara because she’s one of Hollywood’s next big things — not just in front of the camera, but behind the scenes as well. She’s a fashion industry darling (she gets major real estate during New York Fashion Week) yet she still has an edgy side (those tattoos and piercings) — Ewan’s oldest daughter is ready for the limelight.
Famous Parents
When you grow up with two parents who work in the entertainment industry, it’s almost natural to follow in their footsteps. Clara understood what working on-camera was like, thanks to her dad, Ewan McGregor, and she learned the other side of the camera from her mom, Eve Mavrakis, a well-respected production designer for films, including Empire of the Sun and DangerousLiaisons.
Her parents were married for 22 years until their separation in 2017 after it was discovered her dad was having an affair with actress Mary Beth Winstead. Clara called her “a piece of trash” on Instagram — which she later regretted. “It wasn’t the most mature way to go about things, but I was angry and upset,” Clara told The Times. “There had been a lot building up to it and a lot to deal with — not to make excuses or anything — but, yeah, it wasn’t my finest moment.” Ewan and Mavrakis’ divorce was finalized in 2020.
NYU Graduate
Clara graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2017 with a degree in Cinema Studies after originally starting out in the photography department. She tried for a long time to rebel against following in Ewan’s footsteps, revealing to Playboy that “throughout high school, I really turned my back on acting.”
“At 12-years-old, I moved to LA which is all Hollywood and all I was asked is, ‘Are you going to do what your dad does?’ I was like, ‘No! I’m not going to do what he does,'” she shared. “‘I’m going to be behind the camera.’ And then I got to college and asked myself, ‘Why are you being so stubborn about this?’ I wasn’t happy in the photo department so I transferred to the film studies department and then I took an acting class and fell in love with it.”
She’s Comfortable with Nudity
Before her acting career took off, Clara modeled through college — and continues to do so today. Her first big photo shoot at the age of 22 was for Playboy in 2018, which included an interview and sultry images for the magazine. But on an average day, you won’t find her running around naked, she is more likely to be found in her “favorite pair of mom jeans.”
“They’re old Levi’s; they’re classic yet they get your booty just right in there,” she said. “And I’m in my sneakers and a cute top.”
Big Sister
Clara is the oldest of Ewan’s kids, but she relishes her role of big sis to adopted sisters Jamyan, 20, and Anouk, 10, and biological sister Esther Rose, 20. And it was the model, who spilled the baby news to the world in June, that she had a little brother, Laurie, thanks to her dad and Winstead (all is forgiven after calling their name-calling incident).
“Welcome to the world little brother ❤️ congratulations to my Dad & Mary – this is the greatest gift,” wrote Clara on Instagram, posted with the sweetest nurturing photo as she lovingly cradled him in her arms.
Not Single
Clara has been in a relationship with writer/director/composer, Jimmy Giannopoulos, for four years. He’s also a musician in the American R&B and electropop duo, known as LOLAWOLF, with Zoë Kravitz. Giannopoulos directed his first theatrical feature earlier this year, which starred Clara and Ewan.
“Not only was I able to act in your film, The Birthday Cake, but I also co-produced which was such an amazing experience and got me excited about producing more,” she told her boyfriend in their joint interview with The Bare Magazine.
“I’ve gotten to personally see you grow as an artist and creator and it’s been so incredible,” he replied. “I can’t wait to see what you put out into the world.”
It sounds like a match made in heaven.
Part of the LGBTQ+ Community
In 2019, Clara revealed that she is a part of the LGBTQ+ community by coming out as bisexual to the public — her family had long known about her sexuality and she counts herself “lucky to [have] grow[n] up in an open-minded family.”
She told The Mirror, “I went downstairs one morning and said, ‘I’m going on a date with this girl’. Mum’s was like, ‘Oh, OK’ and it was fine.”
And her dad was pretty enthusiastic about his daughter’s news. “My dad was ecstatic. He loved the idea,” Clara added. “He was just very supportive of it and happy, he was just like it was all good.”
Her Acting Career Is Blowing Up
Clara is collaborating with Giannopoulos again at the helm in 18 & Over, where she gets to star alongside Paris Hilton and Pamela Anderson. She also has a film with Alan Cumming called Everything I Ever Wanted to Tell My Daughter About Men, so the next few years are going to big one — get ready, Hollywood!
“It’s been exciting seeing how these collaborations with friends and family can happen so seamlessly and I can’t wait to share what we’ve got in store,” she gushed.
Front-Row Regular
Clara is a regular in those coveted front-row seats at fashion shows, but she’s not just supporting any brand that invites her — she likes to combine social activism with fashion.
“When we are talking about women, that is such a broad spectrum and I think it’s really important to acknowledge trans women and that is something that I’ve seen Bluebella do, along with other members of the LGBT+ community,” she explained in an interview for their holiday campaign. “I’m bisexual myself so I’m always wanting to work with them because they have represented the LGBT+ community and they are open to all walks of life and different people.”
Inked & Pierced
Clara also has a fun, edgy side to her, too. In addition to a nipple piercing that she did her freshman year at NYU, the 25-year-old actress has a growing collection of ink on her body.
From Scottish dagger on her wrist covering up an ex-boyfriend’s middle name to the French phrase “comme ci comme ça” tatted under her boob, she’s still looking to add more art to her body. “There’s also this really beautiful Hopper painting of a nude woman and I want to get the outlines of it right on my arm,” she confided to Playboy. “That’s maybe next for the ink. Keep it low-key for now.”
Battled Anxiety & Addiction
Clara opened up earlier this year about her battle with an addiction to Xanax after being prescribed the medication to combat her anxiety. But in 2017, her family “spotted that things were getting out of hand” and she was starting to “forget whole chunks of days.” Calling the time “scary” to the Evening Standard, she was able to get through that dark period of her life by seeking help.
“Anxiety is suffocating,” she admitted. “I’m 25 now and I’ve spent a lot of time working on it with therapy, but it’s only in the last three to four years that I feel less constricted by it. My sister Esther and my mum are a great help.”
Bright Future Ahead
Clara is going to continue to put in the hard work to have a career in the entertainment industry — she’s not just going to let the McGregor name open doors for her (even though she knows that nepotism exists in Hollywood).
“I want to focus on acting, on creating and writing,” she summed up to Wonderland magazine. “I’d love to be in more films and TV shows and really pursue good work. I also want to keep working on my craft, continue studying and getting as good as I can be. Who knows what the future holds…”
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