Charitable Road Warriors
The actor and his buddy tour Africa for Unicef and have some good times.
Aug. 7, 2007 — -- The force was definitely with British actors Ewan McGregor, famous for his roles in "Trainspotting," "Moulin Rouge!" and "Star Wars," and Charley Boorman, as they cruised into Cape Agulhas, South Africa (just south of Cape Town) on their motorcycles last Saturday.
The end to an epic journey on two wheels, their arrival signaled the completion of the final leg of their three month, 15,000-mile journey from John O'Groats, Scotland, the northernmost British city, to the southernmost tip of the African continent, to raise money for Unicef.
Since their departure May 12, 2007, McGregor and Boorman have crossed two continents, traversed 18 countries and made a film for an upcoming BBC2 series documenting their adventure, titled "The Long Way Down."
"'The Long Way Down' has been an amazing journey," said McGregor. "It has been a real privilege to be able to experience these diverse and beautiful places. We've had the opportunity to see such different ways of life to ours, and have traveled to remote places very few people have access to. The sense of freedom and exploration has been incredible."
Aside from its breathtaking footage and its close look at the many different cultures the pair encountered along the way, the film exposes the physical and emotional strain that comes with constant travel — capturing both the highs and lows of the duo's friendship over the course of the three months.
"There were times when it was unbelievably hard going, but that has been countered by amazing riding and extraordinary people," said Boorman. "Africa is a continent full of undiscovered wonder, and we both feel incredibly lucky we've been able to experience this together and to have survived with some brilliant stories to tell."
Despite their amicable relationship, McGregor admitted that the trip was not completely without incident. "We had a massive argument in Addis Ababa, which cleared the whole air, I think," he said. "We had forgotten to kind of be upfront with each other, which is important when you are traveling with somebody."
