Ewan McGregor has been chatting with journalists in London just before he sets off on an epic round-the-world motorcycle adventure. The handsome actor and his long-time friend Charley Boorman are about to embark on a journey that will take them through such harsh environments as Siberia, Kazakhstan and Alaska, before they finally arrive in New York.
"The idea came a couple of years ago when we were planning a much shorter route down to Europe somewhere," said Ewan at Tower Bridge in London. "It just grew and grew and grew. We thought maybe we would go to China and then it grew into this round-the-world trip."
The 33-year-old actor, who sat proudly atop his 1100cc BMW while talking to the press, had some trouble explaining his reasons for undertaking the odyssey. "I don't know that it's an easy thing to explain," he said. "If you ask anyone that goes on adventures it's very difficult for them to explain why. Maybe the better question is 'why not'."
He and his travelling companion have both had lessons in off-road riding, handling hostile environments and giving medical care. For the next three months a documentary team will film them travelling through eastern Europe and Asia, before they cross the Bering Sea to Alaska and make their way down to the Big Apple.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
