Ewan McGregor knew the risks when his daughter Clara told him she wanted to act. She remembers both parents wishing her luck and warning her that the career she had chosen would be tough, with no guarantee of success.
The 30-year-old recalled their response during a November 10 appearance on the Camelot Films Podcast. She said the Trainspotting and Star Wars actor recognized how much luck had contributed to his career, including finding good agents and industry support shortly after drama school.
Clara said Ewan has not made calls to get her acting jobs. His support has focused on sharing films, discussing his approach to performing and teaching her to appreciate the crew members whose work makes an actor’s performance possible.
The two eventually starred together in Bleeding Love, a drama Clara developed and produced, turning the parent whose career she had watched since childhood into her screen partner.
Her Mother Wanted a Backup Plan
Clara’s mother, production designer Eve Mavrakis, urged her to attend university so she would have something to fall back on. Clara enrolled at New York University and graduated in 2017 with a degree in cinema studies.
After graduating, she stayed in New York, took other jobs and searched for auditions through Backstage.com. She pursued modeling, too, while trying to establish herself as an actress, she recalled in a January 2025 interview with NYLON.
Her interest in movies had begun much earlier. Speaking with Wonderland in 2018, Clara remembered her parents introducing her to Charlie Chaplin, It’s a Wonderful Life, Harvey and French cinema. Visits to Ewan’s sets deepened that fascination, convincing her that she wanted to be part of making films.
What Changed When They Worked Together
Clara was candid with NYLON about the practical value of having an established star in a leading role. “Other projects when I don’t hire my dad, those take longer,” she said.
She developed the story with Vera Bulder and Ruby Caster, who wrote the screenplay, while Emma Westenberg directed. The drama follows an estranged father and daughter traveling from San Diego to New Mexico. It premiered at South by Southwest in 2023 as You Sing Loud, I Sing Louder, before reaching theaters and digital platforms under its new title in February 2024.
On set, Ewan treated Clara as a fellow performer. She told the podcast that he never gave her acting notes or tried to tell her how to play a scene. At the 2023 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, he explained that actors share the responsibility of relaxing and inhabiting a moment, regardless of their experience.
Their family dynamic still surfaced between takes. In an interview published November 11 by The Italian Rêve, Clara remembered filming a scene in which her character smoked in a truck and Ewan’s character rolled down the window. When she vaped during breaks, her father would tell her to stop.
A Demanding Malta Shoot for ‘Noon’
Clara spent the summer filming Noon, a survival thriller directed by Xavier Palud, in Malta. She plays Sasha, a woman imprisoned in an abandoned village and forced through dangerous trials alongside other captives. Producer Camelot Films lists the movie as being in post-production.
Clara told The Italian Rêve that filming lasted a little over 20 days, with other actors present for only about five. Much of the work required her to carry scenes alone, relying on physical performance, stunts and fight choreography instead of dialogue.
The project recently secured international sales representation from The Pool Films ahead of the American Film Market, according to a November 10 report from Screen Daily. The production includes the companies Featuristic Films and Phase 4 Productions alongside Camelot and other partners.
Clara told The Italian Rêve that she wants to explore comedy after working in dramas, thrillers and horror films. She enjoys appearing in horror, she admitted, even though she dislikes watching it.
