Ewan McGregor: 'I wouldn't last as a real soldier'

Ewan McGregor says he wouldn't last five minutes in a real army.

McGregor plays an army ranger in Black Hawk Down which is released on Friday.

He had to undergo a ranger orientation programme as part of his training for the role.

"We'd have three to four mile runs every morning and we did an assault course of a mile in the forest. It was hellish.

"In the end, we had to work our way down the street of a mock village and avoid being shot. I got shot of course."

McGregor says he preferred using the real life guns in Black Hawk Down to light sabres in Star Wars.

"Being able to shoot live rounds is not something you do every day," he says.

"To these soldiers a gun is so second nature they're hardly aware they're even there, whereas for an actor it's like 'Oooh, it's a gun!'

"I don't particularly like guns, but I have to admit that I quite enjoyed firing them."