He originally wanted to be a circus clown, but was offered a chance at screen acting by television director Richard D. Brooks.

One of his first notable roles was as a Glasgow schoolboy in Charles Gormley's Heavenly Pursuits (1986).

He also played the lead in the BBC Scotland feature-length adaptation of the William McIlvanney short story "Dreaming" (1990).

[2] Bremner portrayed Spud in Danny Boyle's film adaptation of Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel Trainspotting,[3] and later Mullet, a street thug in Guy Ritchie's Snatch.

He has played supporting roles in blockbusters such as Pearl Harbor[4] and Black Hawk Down.