Ewan McGregor was so desperate to land his second movie role, he agreed to pose naked and be covered in paint in 1996 film The Pillow Book.

McGregor allowed director Peter Greenaway to shoot him fully nude with Chinese writing covering every inch of his body, in the hope it would help him crack Hollywood.

He recalls Greenaway’s requests: "He said, `Would you be prepared (to be) naked and for us to shoot any part of your naked body?’ and I said, ‘Yes.’

"He said, `Would you be prepared to simulate sex with a woman? Would you be prepared to simulate sex with a man?’ and I said, ‘Yes’ so I got the job.

"I had to have all of this Chinese, beautiful calligraphy painted all over my body and I’d come in at four in the morning. So I’d lie down and fall asleep and they’d paint my front."

McGregor reveals how the woman handed the job of attending to his naked form, handled the more delicate parts of his body: "I’m naked and there’s a lovely little Japanese lady who was our calligrapher and she’d do my legs and my body and she’d always leave my `old chap’ (penis).

"She’d then give me the phone and she’d get me to call my wife so I was slightly distracted - and then paint it. She was very caring in that respect."