Few actors around today are as talented and as successful as Ewan McGregor, and his place in Hollywood has come after years of exceptional work. McGregor was a standout in the Star Wars prequel trilogy, and films like Trainspotting have allowed him to flex his acting range.

As great as McGregor is when the cameras are rolling, even he isn’t able to land every role floating around. However, one particular role that Leonardo DiCaprio got wound up causing some serious problems in McGregor’s personal life.

Let’s take a look at what happened with McGregor when DiCaprio was cast in The Beach.

Ewan McGregor And Danny Boyle Were Friends Who Worked Together

Ewan McGregor Trainspotting
Via timeout.com

Long before some serious personal problems were caused with Ewan McGregor due to Leonardo DiCaprio’s casting in The Beach, McGregor had a solid working relationship and friendship with filmmaker, Danny Boyle. In fact, some of the work done by the duo has been able to stand the test of time up until this point.

Starting back in the 90s, the duo began their time working together with 1994’s Shallow Grave. The film was by no means a major success, but in 1996, the pair worked together on a little movie called Trainspotting, which has become a classic in its own right. This film has endured through the years and has maintained a unique legacy as a film that people should see at least once in their lives.

1997’s A Life Less Ordinary saw the pair working together once more, and even stars like Cameron Diaz and Holly Hunter were on board. The film wasn’t a major hit, but it showed that McGregor and Boyle certainly enjoyed working together on major projects.

A change, however, would take place a few years later.

Related: 'Obi-Wan Kenobi': Star Wars Fans Await Ewan McGregor And Hayden Christensen Reunion

Boyle Cast DiCaprio In ‘The Beach’

Leonardo DiCaprio The Beach
Via rollingstone.com

In 2000, The Beach was set to hit theaters with Leonardo DiCaprio as the lead in the film. Boyle was on board to direct the film, and clearly, he was excited about the chance to work with the young DiCaprio. This was going to be Leo’s first movie of the new millennium, and he was still red hot after the success of Titanic.

While the film didn’t get the warmest reception, it did put up some solid numbers at the box office. Nevertheless, this movie isn’t one that has been met with a ton of love from fans as time has gone on.

When speaking on what happened with the project, Boyle said, “It’s an amazing idea. It is a brilliant idea from Alex Garland’s novel. And I don’t think that I made the best job of it as a director… I’d make a much better film of it now. I was rather overawed by the money, and the way the film was set up. It was huge, not really suited to what I’ve learned I’m better at.”

Not only did Boyle feel like he didn’t make the best job of it, but his decision to cast DiCaprio fractured his friendship with McGregor for years.

Related: Star Wars Fans Are Thrilled Over Ewan McGregor Sporting His Iconic ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Beard

McGregor And Boyle Didn’t Speak For Years

Ewan McGregor Trainspotting
Via vulture.com

When speaking to Graham Norton, McGregor opened up about the fracture, saying, “It was over a film, a misunderstanding. It’s a big regret of mine that it went on for so long, and a real shame we didn’t work together all those years. Not because of any particular film, and it didn’t really matter about The Beach, it was never about The Beach. It was about our friendship.”

Both parties admitted that they had a hand in their friendship souring, but as time went on, the duo mended fences. This led to them collaborating once again on T2, which was the sequel to Trainspotting. After many years, they were back in the saddle, and the fans were happy to see that they had moved on.

As it stands now, the duo are not attached to the same project, but this does not mean that we won’t see it happen down the line. They clearly love working with one another, and even when they weren’t speaking, Boyle was considering McGregor for a role in a project he was working on.

According to Boyle, “It's called Ingenious Pain, an amazing novel, and it's about a doctor in the early days of surgery. I tried to adapt it and I was thinking of Ewan for it, but I could never get it — the third act was always terrible.”

Related: Ewan McGregor Is Unrecognizable In Netflix’s ‘Halston’

Should the duo collaborate again, then expect the fans to show out in no time. We’re just glad that these friends found their way back to one another.

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