Earlier this month, Mary and Ewan were photographed in Variety for their work in ‘A Gentleman in Moscow‘ and a new outtake has been released from the publication for the Emmy’s photo studio. You can view the new high quality pic in the gallery.
With ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ now completed & awards season around the corner, The Wrap interviewed both Mary and Ewan on their roles in the Paramount+ series. Below are some highlights from the interview, including whether they’d work together again & how Mary’s role in the series grew compared to the novel of the same name. Be sure to click the link above to read the full interview:
Do the two of you look for projects to do together?
EWAN McGREGOR Yes. Do you have one? (Laughs) We’re definitely on the lookout.
When you first got the script, did you think about Mary right away?
McGREGOR First I read the script and was very intrigued. I really liked Ben and I was very excited about (director) Sam Miller coming on because I loved “I May Destroy You.” So I was on board. When we started talking about casting, I was very keen to have them think about Mary for the role of Anna. But at first, we didn’t know how much of her story would be in the show. In the book, you turn the page and seven years have gone by and you learn that things have happened between the Count and Anna, but you didn’t see them or read them. So I wanted to know that the part was going to be big enough for Mary to play.
Mary, how much of a part did you see on the page?
MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD Very little. I think I had the first two episodes and obviously I had the novel, so I knew that their relationship was going to blossom over the course of 30 years. But I didn’t know whether they would focus on that. I was given a bit of confidence that it was going to be a great role, even though we didn’t have the scripts yet. And so that was enough for me to jump on board and say yes. And then as the episodes were starting to roll in, I was floored by how beautiful our scenes were and how much the story started to focus on our relationship.
Speaking of the modern sensibility, Mary, you’re playing a woman who’s trying to establish her own agency in an environment where she’s surrounded by powerful men that she’s expected to please. I imagine that you probably didn’t need to turn to history books for your research.
WINSTEAD (Laughs) I know! Absolutely. Obviously so much of our story is taken from the novel, which is brilliant. But also, Ben wrote these incredible scenes that were informed by the characters and what he imagined them to be going through. I thought it was so astute and true to the experience of so many women—of that time, and now, and of all time. I just was amazed by how much it resonated with me personally. When you get to be the age I’m at now (39), I can look back and see how I was navigating so much of my career trying to please everyone and not to make anyone unhappy, but I was not able to see it for what it was at the time. That comes much later. All of that felt very true.
At first the relationship between the Count and Anna is charged and sexy and she has the upper hand, but it becomes much more tender. Did playing it change when you found yourselves with your spouse in a story about family?
McGREGOR Yeah. It’s difficult to describe, really. I’ve had people saying, “Oh, you’ve got to work with your wife” with horror, but it’s such a pleasure to do. When the camera’s rolling, I’m not looking across at my wife. I’m the Count looking at Anna. But we have such an instinct with each other when we’re working, it’s as good as it can get.
WINSTEAD Obviously, it’s amazing to work with someone that you love and also that you respect and admire as an actor. And to me, there was an added benefit of the ease that we have with one another. When you’re starting to work with someone, you don’t know what you’re going to get. (Laughs) And sometimes it can be difficult to go to an emotional place with someone that you maybe have trouble connecting with. That’s obviously not the case with us.
A brand new podcast interview Mary did with Awards Radar has been released & you can hear it by clicking HERE! In the interview, Mary talks about stepping back into the role of Ramona Flowers for Scott Pilgrim Takes Off and some of her favorite TV shows. Below are some highlights:
When you first played Ramona for the film, did you feel her story was incomplete?
I don’t think I ever felt it was incomplete in terms of wanting to know desperately what was going to happen next or anything like that. I did think that there was a lot more to her that I would have loved to explore. Obviously, when you’re making something that’s based on a book or based on a series of books, there’s going to be a lot more in there than you’re able to capture in one film. So I think I always felt it would be fun to be able to explore all these other little bits and pieces that we didn’t get to see of her in the film.
But I wasn’t exactly wondering what’s going to happen next because I thought it was such a lovely ending, the way that that film wrapped up and I thought it was really perfect. So whenever ideas about sequels were bandied about, I was sort of like, oh yeah, that’d be great. But I didn’t really ever take it too seriously because I thought it was kind of like the perfect, you know, full circle that the way it was handled in the film.
So what was your first reaction when, or your initial reaction when you found out that Ramona was going to be the front and center for this series?
You know, it was really unexpected and lovely. I think I thought it was going to be amazing, but I don’t think I really realized what it was going to feel like until I was there doing it. And I didn’t realize how much it was going to mean to me.
It really meant a lot to me to be able to have Ramona kind of telling this story in her own way and to be kind of taking the reins because I think for a lot of the film, she was a bit passive, you know, she’s sort of watching all this happen around her and because of her, but there’s only a few kind of points in the movie where she gets to actually kind of take charge. And now in this series, she’s doing it throughout the whole series. And that was incredibly cathartic and meaningful for me to get to do that.
What was it like to explore her and like to really dig deep into what caused the pain and how she dealt with it?
I was just so grateful to have the opportunity to do that because, you know, I think it was all kind of there when we were doing the movie and I kind of felt all of these things for her. I really felt a lot of empathy for her in terms of how she was feeling and that vulnerability that she was covering up and that she was afraid of and all of those things.
But I think, you know, it wasn’t really her story. So we didn’t really get to see so much of what was underneath that guardedness. So I felt really grateful to get to kind of unveil that a little bit more and people behind that curtain and to get to see her have that realization about herself.
You know, I think in that scene with Roxy is when it really kind of clicks for her, what she’s been doing her whole life that she’s just runs away when she gets scared or when people get too close to her and, you know, and feeling regret for that. And so it was great to get to humanize her in that way, that there are, that she is vulnerable and that she is a loving person, but that she’s afraid. And so I was just really thankful to get to show that because I love her so much as a character.
With awards season getting ready to kick off soon beginning this Friday until the Oscars in March 2025, nominations are being announced for certain events already and while they are not finalized just yet, A Gentleman in Moscow was submitted with a total of 20 nominations including best lead actor for Ewan, best supporting actress for Mary and best directing for a limited series. The full list of submissions can be seen below and if you missed it, be sure to check out Mary and Ewan’s new interview and photo shoot with Variety HERE.
Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series
Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Ewan McGregor
Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Fehinti Balogun, Johnny Harris
Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Sam Miller)
Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Ben Vanstone)
Cinematography for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — 101: “A Master of Circumstance”: (Adam Gillham)
Casting for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — Julia Harkin and Nathan Toth
Picture Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Tim Murrell, Editor; 102 – “An Invitation”: Sofie Alonzi, Editor)
Music Composition for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score) — 108: “Adieu”: (Federico Jusid, Music by)
Main Title Theme Music — Federico Jusid, Music by
Main Title Design — Matt Curtis, Designer; Søren Bonke, Animator/Compositor; Stuart Pitcher, Animator/Compositor
Sound Editing for a Limited or Anthology Series, Movie or Special — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Jim Goddard, Supervising Sound Editor, Ian Wilkinson, Dialogue Editor, Sarah Elias, Tom Stewart, Sound Effects Editors, Anna Wright, Foley Artist, Conor Thompson, Foley Editor, Jack Sugden, Music Editor)
Sound Mixing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Stuart Hilliker, Re-Recording Mixer, Jim Mulhearn, Production Mixer)
Production Design for a Narrative Period or Fantasy Program (One Hour or More) — 105: “An Arrival” (Victor Molero, Production Designer, Ussal Kalyoncu Smithers, Set Decorator, Christopher Guy Evans, Art Director)
Music Supervision — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Zoë Ellen Bryant, Pete Saville, Music Supervisors)
Period Costumes — 102: “An Invitation” (Sam Perry, Costume Designer, Sarah Harrison, Costume Supervisor, Katie Broome, Assistant Costume Designer)
Period or Fantasy/Sci-Fi Makeup (Non-Prosthetic) — 102: “An Invitation” (Jacqueline Fowler, Department Head Makeup Artist, Sue Newbould, Co-Department Head Makeup Artist, Laura Hartney, Personal Makeup Artist, Kirstie Lavin, Mark English, Key Makeup Artists)
Special Visual Effects in a Single Episode — 101: “A Master of Circumstance” (Tim Zaccheo, Max Wright, VFX Supervisors, Joe Cork, 2D Supervisor, Lucy Beavis, VFX Producer, Harry Hamblin, VFX Editor, Alex Jevon, Rasik Gorecha, Gustaf Nilsson, VFX Artists, Rob Rowley, SFX Supervisor)
Mary and Ewan got interviewed and photographed for the latest issue of Variety‘s extra edition. Below are some highlights of their interview. Along with the Q&A, the couple were also photographed and you can view their new photo shoot in the gallery. A motion cover edition was also uploaded on the Variety account.
The pictures are both HQ! 🙂
For Variety's Extra Edition cover:
Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead on Imposter Syndrome, Reprising Old Characters and How Parenthood Changed Everythinghttps://t.co/xHduOMiYUV pic.twitter.com/5XodwUne5l
— Variety (@Variety) May 28, 2024
At this point, McGregor was already attached to the project as an executive producer, but he wasn’t sure the role would be big enough for Winstead. Plus, she wanted to make sure that they were actually interested in it for her — not just because he was suggesting it. Once discussions began and they found a way to elevate the character, she was in.
“I’ve been dying to do something properly together since we did ‘Fargo,’” she says. “I really didn’t expect it to be as great of a role as it ended up being. I just felt so lucky.”
Mary on taking the role of Anna Urbanova and how her prep for roles has changed:
“We’re very similar. I’m always really nervous in the beginning, like leading up to it and then having that impostor syndrome moment where you’re like, ‘Oh, my God, I thought I was gonna be great in this role and now I’m regretting taking it because I don’t know what I’m doing!’ And then you get swept away and it becomes enjoyable,” she says.
By the time the day is over, “everything’s so frantic having a baby at home,” that that’s completely where her focus goes. “When you’re off set, you’re just a parent. You don’t really have time to think about how you feel about the character right now. You’re just thrown into bath [time] and dinner,” she says. “I don’t analyze things nearly as much as I did. You don’t have the time to sit and overanalyze and stew and worry and all of those things. You just have to show up and kick yourself into gear.”
On recording Scott Pilgrim Takes off & filming AGIM:
“It was really interestingly cathartic,” she says of diving back in. Since she was already so invested in “Gentleman in Moscow” when she took it on, Winstead had no idea how unique it would feel to step back into the universe in a whole new way.
“As we started getting more and more into the episodes, it was just such a joy. They did such an amazing job — so beautiful and profound, what they were talking about and where they were taking the characters. So, to be doing that with a role that’s formative for me was unexpectedly emotional. It meant so much,” she says. “I tried to reach back into my brain and go back to my 24-year-old self and find that voice again.”
In a new article with the French media, Mary was interviewed about A Gentleman in Moscow now that the show is premiering in France. Although no new information is written about anything we haven’t already read in previous interviews, below is a loose translation about what is said:
When you’re an actress married to an actor like American actress and singer Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Fargo, Ahsoka) with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, it’s rare to be able to match schedules and shoot together. But that’s exactly what happened with this astonishing eight-part series recounting the tribulations of Count Rostov, condemned by the Bolshevik authorities to spend the rest of his life in Moscow’s only palace. One foot outside and he’s dead. One of the women who keeps him from going mad is Anna Urbanova (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a schemer and film actress with close ties to the government, who owes her survival to her beauty and interpersonal skills. “I’d read the novel, and knowing that Ewan was keen to play the Count, I knew it would be a magical shoot, especially as my character is fabulous. Plus, spending six months with your husband working on something you’re passionate about, there’s nothing better.”
A thank you to Best of McGregor for the photo and if any of the translation is incorrect, I do apologize, but please let me know in the comments & I will fix it accordingly.
In a brand new interview with Indiewire, Mary discusses how the animated series came to be and how it felt stepping back into the world of Scott Pilgrim and playing Ramona Flowers once again.
Be sure to click the link above to read the entire interview:
I was first introduced to the world of “Scott Pilgrim” through Edgar Wright, who met with me about the role of Ramona and slipped me the books by Bryan Lee O’Malley— probably a couple years before we ever made the film — and I completely fell in love with them. I couldn’t imagine doing any other project; it was actually really difficult to go on auditions and take meetings because I kept saying, “No, I’m just going to do this movie. I don’t really want to do any of the other ones.” So, I was pretty obsessed with it.
Then at some point, when things started to become a bit more real, Edgar created all these parties and events with other people involved in the project and, very quickly, we became pretty close as a group; all of us would hang out and go to dinners and go to movies and to Edgar’s parties, and it became almost like this college experience. We were all majoring in “Scott Pilgrim” together. That’s where I met Bryan, who I always remember being the quiet guy, the shy guy, which was funny considering he was the person who started it all. But I always remember and respected that he didn’t need to show off how talented and smart he was. He let the work speak for itself — and it did. We all just loved it so much.
So did BenDavid. I first met BenDavid at a party about a year after “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” had come out. He came up to me and my then-husband at the time and gushed about “Scott Pilgrim” — just kind of nonstop about how he was the biggest fan of it in the world. Then he became one of our closest friends, and through us, became one of Bryan’s closest friends. I’m basically taking credit for the two of them, but this amazing kismet happened, and they found each other and were able to collaborate.
There’s also something that just pops off the page when you’re reading Bryan and BenDavid’s scripts. You can see so clearly what the story’s going to be. We had Science Saru, these incredible animators, bringing it to life — basing it on the comics but obviously adding their own twist to it, so there was definitely an element of surprise for me watching the show. But at the same time, there’s something really visual about the writing and the comedic visual cues Bryan and BenDavid put into the scripts. You know how it’s going to play out visually, which is fantastic.
On “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off,” it was incredibly cathartic for me to get to play this version of Ramona; to get to see her go down this road and to have so much agency, for her to be making so many choices for herself and propelling the story forward herself. I was so happy to get to go through that with her. Bryan and BenDavid pulled it off in such a profound and beautiful way.
In related news, the Scott Pilgrim Takes Off cast also released a thank you video to the fans for their continued support of the series and books, having allowed them to make the show in the first place after its cult status for the film grew over the years. You can view the video here.
Rumble FX has uploaded a very cool video of the visual breakdown and special effects used in creating the world of ‘A Gentleman in Moscow‘. You can watch it below:
A Gentleman In Moscow – Rumble VFX Showreel 4K from Televisual Media on Vimeo.
In a new interview with Comicbook.com, Sky High director Mike Mitchell talked about the scrapped plans for a potential Sky High sequel and where we would see the cast of characters today.
“All the original kids would be back again, including Cousin Greg. That was one of his first films,” Mitchell said of Sky High star Nicholas Braun, who went on to have a career-defining role in HBO’s Succession as the aforementioned Cousin Greg. “Mary Elizabeth Winsted as Royal Pain, Kurt Russell would have to be back as well.”
As for what Braun’s Zack Attack, Winstead’s Royal Pain, Russell’s The Commander and others would be up to, Mitchell revealed that all the former students would now be teachers at a new collegiate superhero campus.
“We figured all the kids are now grown up and they’re all university teachers at a place called Save U,” Mitchell continued. “You just take all that fun and we bring it from the high school into the college years. It would be such a blast.”
Mitchell also made it clear that he would make it a priority to bring back the original ensemble for a hypothetical second installment.
I truly hope this happens one day! They’ve asked him over the years if he would ever want to make a sequel for the first film that came out back in 2005 & he’s always been so enthusiastic about any ideas he’s had for it!
Below I’ve decided to add a couple new interviews Mary has done lately promoting ‘A Gentleman in Moscow’ and the Netflix anime series ‘Scott Pilgrim Takes Off’. First up is an in-person interview she did with Ewan in Los Angeles for the Los Angeles time. The event took place at the end of April and a few photos from that event can be seen here.
Secondly, Mary also did a lengthy interview with the SAG-AFTRA foundation discussing her work on the animated Netflix series, Scott Pilgrim Takes Off as well as working on AGIM. This was one of my favorite interviews with her! She’s so humble and I just loved watching this as a whole. Very lovely.
Mary also did an interview with Town & Country Magazine talking about playing Anna Urbanova in the series. Be sure to click the link above to read it in full:
What made playing Anna something you wanted to do?
It was such an amazing opportunity. Every aspect of it just sang with potential to be the best thing possible, beginning with the novel, which I had read already, and knowing that Ewan was attached to play the Count. I knew that that was going to be something magical. It felt like a real no brainer to want to be involved on top of the opportunity to play an incredibly fabulous character. Also, I got to be with my husband for six months and work on something that excited us both. There’s nothing better than that.
To create the character, did you use materials beyond the script or the book that inspired it?
The book, of course, was an amazing starting place; Amor Toles wrote such incredibly wonderful characters. In addition to that, I wanted to have something that I could hang my hat on in terms of the history of real actresses at that time, and the real Russian women of that day who were in her position. It’s a bit difficult to find a lot of information, but I did find a few. One was named Alla Nazimova, and I felt she resembled Anna the most—she was also the most fascinating to learn about. She had an incredible backstory that was quite heartbreaking, and I held onto that for Anna.
Is there anything about the production—which has these incredible sets and costumes—that you hope audiences notice? Any kind of Easter eggs we should be looking for?
There are subtleties, especially in the wardrobe, hair, and makeup. Obviously, we go through different eras, which is fun to see, but for Anna, I thought it was so lovely to have not only the evolution in terms of time but also of her as a person. She becomes so much softer, and we see her wearing knits and flat shoes; she’s letting herself get softer, and the clothes reflect that in a beautiful way.