Ewan McGregor Discusses His Dual Roles In Fargo

Noah Hawley's Fargo has featured some pretty great actors over the past few years, from Billy Bob Thornton and Allison Tolman to Bokeem Woodbine and Zahn McClarnon. Now, Ewan McGregor is set to join the Fargo family, playing rival brothers Ray and Emmitt Stussy. Hoping to get some inside information about his season three characters, the folks at Collider recently sat down with the Scottish actor and learned what it was like playing dual roles.

In order to differentiate between the two brothers, McGregor developed slightly different Minnesota accents. He also gained a bit of weight to play the younger Ray, a parole officer "with a huge chip on his shoulder." But after shedding those extra pounds (he only needed the actual fat for one shirtless scene), McGregor made up for the lost weight with some extra padding. In addition to pulling on a pair of cowboy boots, the actor underwent quite a bit of makeup work, sitting in the chair for two hours as the makeup crew applied the prosthetics and the hair department worked on his wig.

As for the older Emmitt, a successful businessman who cheated Ray out of the family fortune, McGregor only had to spend 45 minutes with the makeup crew. However, as Emmitt, the actor was forced to wear Spanx to deal with Ray's pot belly. "I didn't want them to be the same shape," McGregor explained. But even after losing Ray's extra weight, McGregor kept on wearing the Spanx as it had become part of the character by that point, helping him stay "more upright," as opposed to the "lazy and slouchy and unhealthy" Ray.

However, despite the younger Stussy's bad manners, McGregor admits the balding parole officer is far more likable than his entrepreneurial sibling. Even the crew preferred it when McGregor played the sleazier-looking brother, confessing that, "Everyone likes Ray more on set." Of course, while Emmitt starts off as "less sympathetic," that may well change before the end of the show, as crimes will be committed and unlucky individuals will undoubtedly bite the dust.

The first episode of Fargo season three hits FX on April 19, and while you're waiting to return to the blood-soaked snows of the Midwest, you can check out McGregor in the trailer above. And once you're done, be sure to read about the original film that inspired the TV show as the title of this movie lied straight to your face.