Ewan McGregor reflects on success in his 20s

Ewan McGregor recently reflected on becoming a star in his 20s after being cast in Trainspotting.

For those unfamiliar, the 55-year-old Scottish actor and filmmaker shot to stardom with his portrayal of Mark Renton in the 1996 British black comedy drama film based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh. The film, which was directed by Danny Boyle, had an ensemble cast, including Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald, Irvine Welsh, and others.

In a talk with PEOPLE magazine before the film's 4K rerelease in honour of the 30th anniversary, McGregor stated that he was “blown away by how good a movie it is.”

He told the outlet that he rewatched the film “not very long ago” when it was being shown at some place, so he sat in and “saw it on the big screen.”

The Moulin Rouge! star added, “I hadn't seen it for years and years and years. And I wrote to Danny [Boyle] afterwards, and I'm not in touch with Danny all the time, so it was a rare occasion, but I wrote to him just to say how amazing a film it was.”

“A lot of things that I would've made 30 years ago or 25 years ago or 20 years ago, they might have dated, or what was thought relevant then might not be relevant now in terms of cinema technique, but Trainspotting felt like it felt then. It doesn't feel like it's lost any of its vitality at all,” McGregor explained.

It is pertinent to mention that Trainspotting follows Renton, a man struggling with a heroin addiction who “tries to clean up and get out despite the allure of drugs and the influence of friends,” according to IMDb.