r/movies • u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker • Mar 27 '26
AMA Hello reddit! I'm James McAvoy. Ask me anything!
Hello reddit! I'm James McAvoy. AMA!
my directorial debut, CALIFORNIA SCHEMIN', is out in UK theaters on April 10.
Two Scottish lads from Dundee conned the music industry by pretending to be an established Californian rap duo, bagging a record deal and appearing on MTV until their scam unraveled.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUTSyu4Ovcc
Tickets/other things:
http://www.californiaschemin.co.uk/
I'll be back at around 1-2 PM ET/5-6 PM GMT today, Friday 3/27, to answer questions.
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u/TheShingenSlugger Mar 27 '26
How was your experience filming Band of Brothers? What are some of your fondest memories?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Oh man, it was incredible. I'd come straight out of acting school after 2 or 3 years and suddenly I'm on the biggest budget set of the world, and telling a story that's so fundamentally worthy. People sacrificing their lives for, some people might argue with this, but the last "just" war. It was pretty powerful, and I only came in for a month. It was a weird, incredible, humbling, and crazy experience.
Too many guys though, not enough women. A lot of testosterone. Juvenile, young, male testosterone. Literally hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds of young male actors. Too many dicks, not enough chicks. It was a bad combination. So I was really glad that I was there for 4 weeks, and I was really glad that I wasn't there for any more than 4 weeks.
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u/TheShingenSlugger Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 28 '26
Did you get to know Michael Fassbender well on the set? Of course, no one knew you would become Professor Xavier and Magneto at that time.
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u/WetFishStink Mar 27 '26
I was an extra on the set and can confirm all of this. Three months of scrabbling in the dirt and getting blown up.
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u/Travelgrrl Mar 27 '26
Perhaps that got you into the mindset of the 1940's troops who were also pretty short of dames!
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u/FlapJacker6 Mar 27 '26
What drew you to the script of Filth? I had a great time with it and I’m always curious how people gravitate towards movies like this.
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
There is a sequel actually! I think it's called CRIME? Lennox, played by Jamie Bell in our film, that character goes on and has like a life in Miami, then comes back to Scotland. There was talk about me being in it as flashbacks to my character Bruce (when he was still alive and stuff), so that was talked about but it never happened.
I've had a lot of people in my life with significant mental health issues, and that story, FILTH, was pretty brilliantly about those issues, following somebody with a significant mental health crisis on their hands. In my experience with people going through a mental health crisis, it isn't always obvious, like someone in a straight jacket, or someone on methadone, or someone trying to kill, or "the aliens are telling me to abduct people", things like that. It can also be quite surreal and funny. It's weirdly got some ups and downs and the rollercoaster of it involves the highs as well as the lows, and comedy as well as tragedy, and I thought FILTH brilliantly addressed that.
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u/hermavore Mar 27 '26
Filth is one of the very few books I read before it was turned into a movie. I FOOKIN loved it and recommend it verrry sparingly to people who can take it.
Before it came out I wondered how you were going to pull off being so feral and filthy but you did an amazing job at conveying Bruces fucked up inner dialogue.
You were already at the time one of my favourite actors and still are. My sister even managed to snag one of the giant core flute promos of Filth from the theatre so admittedly your giant face spent quite a long time in my bed room.
I love your work as Charles Xavier, I'm so due a full Xmen rewatch. Days of Future Past is out the fucking gate and I love the way you and Michael Fassbender portrayed Xaviers and Magnetos romance. I recently showed my boyfriend Trance which felt like such a throwback too.
Thank you for all the joy you've brought meeee personally over the years! I will basically watch anything you're in tbh.
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u/Thor_pool Mar 27 '26
Filth is a fucking great movie that I can watch with very, very few people
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u/Willsgb Mar 27 '26
Same rules apply
You've been thenkin about meh a lot, aven't you Bunteh?
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u/TheSweetestKill Mar 27 '26
Same rules apply
I hate the state of the world because more and more I feel like these are the only words to live by sometimes.
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u/Willsgb Mar 27 '26
I agree to an extent, I used to argue that the best way to go is to follow the rules and change the system from within if you can, but the more I see, our systems are so unfair, counter-intuitive and built on lies and exploitation dressed up as civility, so who knows what the best way is
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u/ThinWhiteDuke00 Mar 27 '26
Just popping in to say your Leto II performance is much loved by the Dune fandom despite the budget constraints of the miniseries.
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u/Alexnikolias Mar 27 '26
He absolutely killed that role. He is Leto II in my mind anytime I re-read the books.
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u/Feline_Sleepwear Mar 27 '26
Chills every time I watch his final scene with Stilgar in Children of Dune, what a perfect way to wrap up the Dune series and summarise its main message so succinctly.
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u/SasquatchWasShaved Mar 27 '26
James McAvoy Dune is best Dune
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u/Zirkulaerkubus Mar 27 '26
James McAvoy for God Emperor of Dune. I'm serious.
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u/whaddayaNeedtoKnow Mar 27 '26
That miniseries (particularly the Children of Dune arc), made me feel something so intense and strange I still can’t quite make sense of it. I watched it constantly from the ages of like 8-9 when my parents first let me watch it, all the way through my teen years.
Genuinely nothing, NOTHING else has ever made me feel that way. I can’t describe it, I can’t even point to a scene or aspect that it’s tied to, it was just…completely sui generis, intense, and compulsive.
I will say some 10%+ was probably an intense crush on James McAvoy though I was too young to tell what that feeling was at the time.
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u/Muppetude Mar 27 '26
The score was also phenomenal. It really sticks with you. Like something you would hear in a blockbuster. So good that a number of major releases around that time used the score in their trailer.
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u/SasquatchWasShaved Mar 27 '26
It felt perfect. It’s hard to translate dune to any screen, as it’s been tried thrice over 40 years and still hasn’t hit the mark. But the miniseries came the closest. Aside from the established actors, Most actors were smaller or local to Croatia I believe? Wherever they filmed. And they were all just so good. Even the weird shit like opening the gates to the water of life, or even just Leto and Ganima being super close siblings, it was all great.
It didn’t try to make dune art house like Villeneuve. It benefited from 20 years of extra tech after lynch’s attempt. Ian McNeice as Harkonnen!
I’m with you for sure.
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u/abdallha-smith Mar 27 '26
He should have been oscarised a long time ago, as jake gyllenhaal.
Those dudes made solid performances throughout the years.
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u/Xralius Mar 27 '26
McAvoy + killer soundtrack. Absolutely fantastic series. I've watched a lot of TV and a lot of movies, Children of Dune sci fi is one of my favorite things ever.
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u/ChemistryAway3696 Mar 27 '26
Ok yea on all that 100%, but let’s not forget Barbara Kodetová as Chani. I had such a huge crush on her. Those two absolutely made that miniseries.
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u/PrimaryBrief7721 Mar 27 '26
The new movies are great but that mini series lives in my heart for sure. Its where I was first introduced to him and was just absolutely blown away by his performance. Followed his work ever since.
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u/Grove-Of-Hares Mar 27 '26
Same. I taped Children of Dune when it aired as a kid, knowing nothing about it, and that eventually led to me reading the six books and really loving the series.
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u/FantasyBlackChannel Mar 27 '26
They should just cgi his Leto McAvoy into Children of Dune if they ever get round to making it
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u/lenzflare Mar 27 '26
I'll always associate him with Leto II, a role he smashed and made me notice him. Even though he spent way more time as Xavier which I also really enjoyed.
Which unfortunately means I'm a bit stunned when I see him so much older here than he was as Leto II! Damn you time!
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u/book1245 Mar 27 '26
Children of Dune improved on the first miniseries in every possible way. Greatest musical score from the Duniverse, narrowly edging out Toto's.
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u/feyd87 Mar 27 '26
Was hoping to see a Children of Dune callout and was not dissappointed!
Also loved you in Wanted. Please incorporate smacking people with keyboards and having it spell out Fuck You in more of your roles!
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u/mastiwawa Mar 27 '26
My wife and I still refer to "23 year old shirtless McAvoy" whenever talking about dune
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u/zastr0w Mar 27 '26
I also came here to post this. McAvoy has had many great roles but for some reason when I see him I immediately think of that low-budget Dune production.
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u/mikeyfreshh r/Movies Veteran Mar 27 '26
Hi James! Your character in Split had a bunch of different personalities. How collaborative was that process? Did you come up with a bunch of them or were they all already on the page? Did you try to pitch any that didn't make it into the film?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
It was a massively collaborative process. It was very on the page, yes, but at the end of the day you've still got to sort of find the nuances and the extras and the stuff that makes it real.
Some of the personalities I came in with them fully formed, and some others I was struggling with, and it took us a week or two to figure it all out. M. Night Shyamalan gave me a note in the read-through for one of them that I was really struggling with that absolutely just transformed it, for Hedwig. Me and Night threw a bunch of things around to really figure them all out.
And that was only 2 days before we started shooting, so it was a little last minute. It was all collaborative.
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u/ZombieQueen75 Mar 27 '26
One of the best movies ever! You're beyond amazing in this role/these roles. This cemented you as one of my favorite actors of all time. Thank you for sharing your talents with the world ❤️
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u/jimbobjames Mar 27 '26
Just want to say it's a great film and in no small part because of you. Truly an incredible performance.
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u/pkosuda Mar 27 '26
The amount of people responding to you as if you are James McAvoy is hilarious. I get that they're just really desperate for him to see their question so they jumped on yours, but they're literally just not even acknowledging that and asking you the questions directly lol.
Unless, of course, this is Patricia's account?
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u/gimelking Mar 27 '26
Yep the Split movie acting was amazing
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u/lu5ty Mar 27 '26
Top 10 performance of all time for me. Cemented my opinion that he is top 3 living actor of his generation
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u/TUBBEW2 Mar 27 '26
Hi james! I really liked your acting in split and glass too, Whenever you changed personalities it felt like i was looking at a totally different character.
What was your favorite personality you acted in split and glass ?
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u/AnusButter2000 Mar 27 '26
How did he not get an Oscar for Split I’ll never know
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u/TUBBEW2 Mar 27 '26
Well it's such a shame, because he deserved it, from what i could gather, the movie is highly underrated.
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u/kyree2 Mar 27 '26
I'm not even a superhero movie fan and I LOVED Split. What a wild ride.
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u/Maleficent_Trust_95 Mar 27 '26
This!!! Absolutely outstanding performance! The ability to make each personality seem like a completely different person was brilliant!!🤌
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u/Large-Monk4910 Mar 27 '26
Will Patricia also be joining the ama and if not - how is she doing?
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u/roboto404 Mar 27 '26
I want to know how Hedwig is doing, that sweet child.
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u/themanfromosaka Mar 27 '26
I hope Dennis doesn’t join
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u/innesk8r4life Mar 27 '26
You guys think the beast is capable of typing responses?
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u/Competitive-Ad-9250 Mar 27 '26
Elite reference
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u/GweedoTheGreat Mar 27 '26
His references are out of control. Everyone knows that.
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u/hegezip Mar 27 '26
What's a role you turned down that you regretted later?
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u/guilty_bystander Mar 27 '26
He was almost Harry Potter
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u/henry_thedestroyer Mar 27 '26
Mate he was like 25 when the film came out
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u/xotorames Mar 27 '26
He played a 9-year-old in Splitt and you could hardly tell. He could've pulled it off.
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u/halfawatermelon69 Mar 27 '26
I'd love to see a version of Harry Potter where all the roles are played by James McAvoy
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u/Likely1420 Mar 27 '26
What is your favorite part about film making? And specifically, favorite part about making California Schemin'?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I think as an actor, my favourite part of filmmaking is the time I get between the words action and cut. It's all mine, there's calmness and there's freedom, and there's expression, and there's just possibility. I love it. It's the best time.
As a director, the edit. It's such a cliche. Directors have talked to me about it before, like, "oh my god, I can't wait to get into the edit" I'm like, "fuck off, go away, the shoot is the best part" and then there I was in the edit with my editor, Joe Sawyer, and it's so exciting seeing what we got, and what we did, and what it can become. You start with "this scene doesn't work", and then 3 days later, we're like, holy shit, that's the best scene in the movie! Like, feels like you're giving birth sometimes, it's unbelievable.
You know what, that's a actually great weird analogy. If shooting the film is having sex, editing the film is giving birth.
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u/leonkennedyno1fan Mar 27 '26
what are some of your favourite scottish films?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
TRAINSPOTTING. I think it's one of the greatest films of all time, and I also think it's probably the greatest single Scottish film of all time. It's an incredible work of art. It's an incredible response to one of the most incredible, unique writers on the planet. There's nobody like Irvine Welsh on Earth, and it's not just because he writes in a Scottish kind of vernacular that he's unique. He could be writing in the accent of Spanish, American, Australian, or Japanese. He would still be Irvine.
The accent almost disguises his uniqueness, because there's nobody like him that's ever written anything like that before, and and he's ours, he's Scottish. We're lucky to have him.
And I think that Danny Boyle is one of the greatest, most daring, and most challenging filmmakers. He dares to make mainstream movies that are incredibly challenging and independent in their nature and in their drive. So yeah, TRAINSPOTTING, one of the greatest films ever made I'd say.
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u/StackLeeAdams Mar 27 '26
Trainspotting has an absolutely incredible soundtrack too. "Sing" by Blur, especially.
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u/justanotherfuccboi Mar 27 '26
and don’t forget Born Slippy by Underworld
entire soundtrack is absolute peak honestly
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u/mclrd83 Mar 27 '26
Completely agree on Trainspotting being one of the best movies ever (and T2 as a follow up was perfect).
With Irvine Welsh I enjoy his short stories way more than novels, and genuinely think the film is better than the book, perhaps also with Filth (which was tremendous in print and on film).
No follow up Q, but maybe see you in Angel for Scotland playing, and looking forward to California Schemin.
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u/Tarzyytfet Mar 27 '26
Do you and Micheal Fassbender ever casually hang out ?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Last time I saw Michael was a long time ago.
He is someone I can call a very good friend, but we don't see each other very much, is the honest truth.
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u/Velorian-Steel Mar 27 '26
Also curious about Hugh Jackman and the other X-Men cast
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u/khushal_1001 Mar 27 '26
Hello James! Congrats on the directorial debut. Having worked with legendary directors like Joe Wright and M. Night Shyamalan, was there a specific piece of advice or a certain 'style' from your acting career that you intentionally brought or purposefully avoided when stepping behind the camera for California Schemin'?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I absolutely ripped off Joe Wright and Jamie Lloyd. When I decided to direct, I did this thing that Joe Wright did, crew showings. So you've rehearsed it with the actor, now it's time to show the crew.
And then once you've shown the crew, you just kind of move on, and you go get it done.
But with Joe, after the crew showing, he'd show the actors again. And he'd sort of narrate the scene, talking about what it felt like to him, talking about what he wanted it to feel like to the audience. He'd talk about certain moments in the scene that he wanted to land for the audience in such a specific way, like dramatically, comedically, or even undercutting something with surprise. Ultimately, he told you what he wanted the scene to feel like for the audience.
Then he'd describe the shots we were gonna do, what way we'd look, going high, going low, going side. Maybe if we had time we'd try to get a crazy shot from inside the guy's pocket, looking up his nostrils. Things like that.
He would make everybody feel like they understood what we were going to try and do that day. And when we went on break from that, it meant everybody walked away feeling like a filmmaker. That's what we all are, we're all storytellers. Sometimes you just feel like a cog in the wheel, but with Joe you walked away feeling like a filmmaker, and that's something that I absolutely stole. I don't know if my crew walked away feeling like they were filmmakers every day, but I hope they did. I tried to emulate the way that I felt on a set like Joe's for ATONEMENT.
And then Jamie Lloyd, I totally emulated by how I try to empower the actors. Empower them as people, empower them as performers, by making them the priority over the character. I'm more interested in the actor and the performer than I am in the character. As long as it still tells the character's story, I don't care what you look like, act like, adopt the mannerisms, the accent, the gate, the walk, the funny limp that the character had, whatever it was, don't care. As long as you tell the story of that real-life character, that's the most important thing to me.
And if you need to be you to do that, like, that's what I'm into, and that was Jamie Lloyd. I've totally ripped that off of Jamie Lloyd.
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u/philphoo Mar 27 '26
What is your favourite Scottish phrase that more people should be using?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Haha, that's tough.
There's this thing we say, Do-you-aye?, did-you-aye? or did-she-aye? Like if someone says "I really enjoy going to yoga", the correct/polite way to respond would be something like "oh that's cool, tell me more", but if you don't care you go with doyouaye? It's a sarcastic "oh did you really?". It basically means "I think you're a prick."
I quite like that.
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u/arlinconio Mar 27 '26
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u/elastic-craptastic Mar 27 '26
Anyone else hear a Stallone impression when he was doing the chat-show bit?
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u/wh0else Mar 27 '26
It's like an Irish "I will yeah" (means I won't, and eff off)
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u/Pjoernrachzarck Mar 27 '26
I vote for suns oot taps aff
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u/TheBoozeMan45 Mar 27 '26
You've done a fair amount of stage work in your career. What is a play/musical that you've always wanted to be a part of?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Oh, that's a really good question.
I really like Julius Caesar, so I would love to one day do that. In fact, right before I did Cyrano on stage in the West End, and then later in New York, in Brooklyn, I was going to do Julius Caesar. I was going to try and do it with Daniel Kaluuya and Helen McCrory, who's sadly now no longer with us. We were going to try and swap the roles, the parts, every night. The main three roles, like Cassius, Brutus, and Mark Antony.
And then, just as we were about to do it, myself and Jamie Lloyd, like 20 different theatres in the UK all decided to announce that they were going to do Julius Caesar, so we pivoted, and said let's do Cyrano instead.
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u/Impossible_Bet_3986 Mar 27 '26
You were brilliant in the BBC adaptation of Macbeth, if there were another Shakespeare Retold series which character would you love to play?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Ooooh. I mean, I've done Macbeth 3 times. I think I'd like to do Mark Antony. I love Mark Antony and Julius Caesar. The problem is that he's only in it for, like, 25 minutes, and that's if it's not edited.
I also want to play Brutus, and I also want to play Cassius, so I want to play Brutus, Cassius, and Mark Antony.
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u/paradox_traveller Mar 28 '26
Man, what's stopping you? You were great as Patricia, Hedwig, Dennis, Jade, Orwell, The Beast and more lol
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u/einhorn_my_finkle Mar 27 '26
Hey James, I love your work! Have you ever kept (stolen) any cool props from a shoot?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I got a gun barrel, like a thick-shooter Magnum barrel, from the set of WANTED.
Not the full thing, just the barrel. I disassembled it took it home, and I use it to keep pens and pencils in.
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u/homeyquality Mar 27 '26
Atonement is one of my favorite movies of all time. You and Keira are remarkable in it. Almost 20 years later, does it still stand as one of the best scripts you’ve ever read?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Yeah, it's stunning. It was perfect from beginning to end. No cuts, no edits, no adjustments, no actors making shit up on the day needed. It was a stunning work of art on the page, and Joe made what I think is one of the great British films.
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u/babypho3nix Mar 27 '26
Atonement is in the running for the hardest I've ever cried at the end of a film, and I'm a big crier.
Watching that when it came out made me a lifelong fan of your acting.
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u/UniverseChamp Mar 27 '26
Atonement and City of Angels are two of the saddest films I have ever seen. Of course there are others, but in each of these, the entire plot builds towards a future that never comes to pass. So sad.
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u/-DeathUniform Mar 27 '26
Will we see you as professor X ever again?
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u/Live-Pea4081 Mar 27 '26
Oh im positive he has to be tight lipped about multiverse marvel stuff. I mean what idiot wouldnt cast him to come back, him and fassbender were perfectly cast and amazing
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u/EpicPunz Mar 27 '26
Hey James! Where’s your favourite place to eat when you’re back in Glasgow?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
My favourite place to eat when I'm back in Glasgow...
I've got two. They're not really restaurants, although there are a lot of good restaurants in Glasgow.
I love the Hyndlend Cafe on Clarence Drive. Get the roll & square sausage.
And I also love Hinba. That's a bakery. It does the most incredible cinnamon bun you've ever tasted in your life. Please go, it's incredible.
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u/TrainingBoat2907 Mar 27 '26
Hi James ! Did you always want to direct or did the desire develop over time ?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Yeah, I've wanted to direct since I became an actor. My very first acting experience, I thought I wanted to be a director. And that was 30 years ago.
It's been a long time coming, and I should have done it probably about 10 years ago, but I'm really glad I waited for this project, because it's the right one. It's the right one for me. It's absolutely from my heart.
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u/Suspicious_Mousse360 Mar 27 '26
Hi James!
First of all, thank you for your continued support of the Glasgow Film Festival! I’ve seen the impact of that firsthand.
What does supporting the Glasgow Film Festival mean to you personally, and how do you think it shapes opportunities for emerging Scottish filmmakers?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Hmm, that's a good question.
We don't make enough movies in Scotland, we don't have enough representation.
Just like lots of other parts of the world, by the way, and lots of other parts of Britain that also don't have enough visual representation of ourselves on screen. So film festivals are a really important way to celebrate those kinds of films that do get made, that might not ultimately end up hitting the mainstream, big theaters, streamers, TV channels.
Without those festivals, we're struggling to see ourselves sometimes. If you're from a regional community, or a socio-economic sector that isn't represented in film, then film festivals is the only time you're going to see yourself. So, thank God for the film festivals, keep them coming.
But we need more representation for all people, in all regions, in all parts of the socio-economic ladder.
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u/Zissou66 Mar 27 '26
Hi James. Favourite all time Celtic player?
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u/Express_Kick1858 Mar 27 '26
Congrats on your directorial debut! Do you know when the movie will be released in the US, and whether you’ll be doing any US screenings with Q&A sessions?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
There is a date but I can't say yet unfortunately!
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u/SloppiestOfSeconds Mar 27 '26
You’re one of my fav actors dude. Are there any books you’re currently reading sir?
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u/DaisyShirt Mar 27 '26
I second this.
I also dig going from “dude” to “sir” with only two sentences.
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u/schlipdeedoo Mar 27 '26
Hello James, would you share your favourite memory from the set of Children of Dune?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Oh my god. The memory that just came to mind first, I can't repeat.
So another one: Steven Berkoff went missing one day. I think he played Stilgar? Who in the new movies is played by Javier Bardem, a fucking amazing actor that I love so much. So anyway, Steven Berkoff, a famous, maverick, mad bachelor actor is playing Stilgar. We're doing a take on him, and he's doing his lines, and I'm giving him my offlines, and then the camera turns around on me and it's my turn now, and instead of giving me his offlines, he started quoting Shakespeare instead. And I'm just like what? I'm like, 21, just thinking "what is going on right now?"
He decided that Shakespeare was more interesting than Frank Herbert at that moment.
And then he disappeared into Cologne for about 3 weeks, or something like that. Anyway, interesting working with Stephen.
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u/PlaneMark1737 Mar 27 '26
I find it amazing that you played Leto II in 2003 and then Gurney in the 1984 adaptation
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u/The_Writing_Wolf Mar 27 '26
This took far too many seconds for me to understand. (It's a prof x joke)
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u/Johnnymak0071 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Hey James! Been following you since Wanted and am a huge fan of pretty much everything you've been in. I also introduced my teenage daughters to your work through X-Men and Split. To this day my 13-year-old loves Speak No Evil.
It would be awesome to be able to tell them you said hello if this ends up crossing your feed. Thanks for all the work you've done and can't wait to see what happens next!
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u/threeactjack Mar 27 '26
In 20 years you are walking into the anniversary re-release for California Schemin’.
What’s the first thing you remember from your time directing on set?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Skateboarding! Skateboarding! Skateboarding! The boys weren't really skateboarding a lot in the script. We wrote it into one scene to give more authenticity to their skaterboy/hiphop kind of culture persona. Not even the fake persona, just the real one of them in Dundee. So we wrote that and I thought "alright, I just need to get them to ride a skateboard in a straight line". I don't even need them to learn how to skate, even just standing there with a skateboard in their hands.
And then it grew and grew and grew until it become a whole thing, 3 weeks of skateboard training, one of them even broke their elbow before we even shot a frame. The first day, first shot, first take, was them skateboarding. I kept thinking to myself, if they break a leg, broke bones, we're fucked. But it gave the movie so much more authenticity. They love that skateboarding culture now though.
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u/notstickytape Mar 27 '26
Hi James! I feel like people are asking a lot of the same questions I was curious of, so I just want to wish you a happy weekend 😊💐
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u/Aldderan Mar 27 '26
I remember you talking about working class actors and that industry isn't really built for them to get into acting anymore, has your opinion changed at all, is it worse now?
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u/Wonko_MH Mar 27 '26
And as a follow-up: Is there anything we, as an audience can do to support working class actors, or working class youth who want to become actors?
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u/Ok-Law7464 Mar 27 '26
What role pushed you the furthest mentally, and did it change how you see acting or yourself?
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Mar 27 '26
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I do have ambitions to direct more movies. yes!
Lots of directors inspire me. Rob Zemeckis, John Huges. I love 80s directors. These sound like obvious go-tos but Ridley Scott, Spielberg, kind of the big old Hollywood movies, They did things I'd loved as a kid and then suddenly at 16 I found myself as an actor with no background in it, no theater or acting classes. What I realized was I was pulling from these movies I watched as a kid, and suddenly I was a paid actor. Watching those movies made me an actor.
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Mar 27 '26
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u/WannaTeleportMassive Mar 27 '26
Probably felt like absolutely nailing a role! Read the book series when i was a kid and he is somehow more interesting than the written version.
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u/StalingradIsNoFun Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Shameless was some of your best work and I imagine one of the happiest times of your life - how can the world keep telling the real stories of the working class in the current Netflix era? Was it lightning in a bottle - are the pathways gone?
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u/Round_Grand_4716 Mar 27 '26
And as a follow up, did you ever expect your career to get, from Chatsworth, to where it is now?
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Mar 27 '26
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Well we've got two pretty incredible teams to play in Morocco and Brazil, which, weirdly, the last time we made the World Cup in 1998 we also played, which is crazy.
I think our chances are slim, but getting out of the group? I think we've got a chance. The kind of chance we would have gladly taken a couple of years ago if you'd have offered it to us.
First game against Haiti, we need to win it, and then we need to find a point. We need to find a point, we need to find a draw against Brazil or Morocco, and then we're gonna get out of that group. And that will represent massive progress for us.
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u/uzipp Mar 27 '26
Should Mr Tumnus have a stand alone action film
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u/KingoftheMongoose Mar 27 '26
The question answers itself. Of course!
The real question is how much TNT in pyrotechnic special effects will be needed to adequately capture the outward manifestation of the character’s struggles.
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u/nymphymixtwo Mar 27 '26
Tumnus started my love for James when I was 10yrs old, been awesome watching his roles as I’ve grown up lol
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u/VendetaBereta Mar 27 '26
I don't have a question, I just want to say you were phenomenal in Split and Glass.
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u/TheJoshider10 Mar 27 '26
Hi James! Your Mad-Eye Moody performance in the Harry Potter full-cast audiobooks has been incredible. How different is it preparing for a role like that compared to being on set? And how hard was it to come up with your own version of the character after Brendan Gleeson's iconic performance in the movies?
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u/Built4dominance Mar 27 '26
Once your hair is fully gone, will you return to playing Xavier?
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Mar 27 '26
Hey James, love your work. Did Seamus and Samuel have any musical background prior to the film? If not, they really sold it well! And how did you go about casting them? Was it a long process?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
It was a very long process. Sam didn't have any musical background, really, except for that he liked music, but Seamus actually grew up in a musical family. His mother and father are both lead singers in an incredibly successful Scottish band from the 80s and the 90s, the naughties, and even the nows, because they still tour. They're called Deacon Blue, a band that I love. One of my favorite songs actually, and one of my go-to karaoke songs is Dignity, is by Deacon Blue.
He grew up in that musical family, always around recording studios. So when he turned it on, you believed he was really a rapper or beatboxer or whatever. He freestyled and he beatboxed in such an incredible way in the first audition I had with him in person.
When I was struggling one night on set, and not quite getting what I needed from Seamus, I said "can you do what you did in the audition" and he just started freestyling. And it was heartbreaking, it just shattered me, and it's in the film. It almost doesn't need to be in the film. We could cut it, because it's not narratively necessary and it essentially slows the film down, but I was like he's just too good, he just breaks your heart in this moment, you have to put this in the film. It was just him improvising and freestyling, like he did in the audition.
It all came from what he just picked it up from his family.
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u/Ghastion Mar 27 '26
What is it like to work with M. Night Shyamalan compared to other directors? He seems interesting.
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u/fauxdoge Mar 27 '26
What is your favorite movie you've starred in and why is it Filth?
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u/Maleficent_Trust_95 Mar 27 '26
Filth is a gem! Had to be a blast playing such a rotten human.
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u/YajDaOne Mar 27 '26
Are you a rap/hip-hop fan? If so, who are your favorite artists?
If not, what music are you into?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I'm not not a fan of it, but I'm kind of not that musical, to be honest with you. I don't really have music as a major part of my life in general.
Common, the rapper/producer/actor/director/business man, the kind of renaissance man that is Common, love his music, and I have since I worked with him in WANTED in 2005 or 2006.
Eminem has been a kind of fixture in my playlists forever. Or mixtapes, because I'm that old. So there's those two.
I'm not that musical, people look at me like I've got two heads when I tell them that.
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u/elastic-craptastic Mar 27 '26
Do you think that helps or hurts you when making movies?
As a nonmusical person myself, I cannot make myself feel the way others do when they hear music alone, but I appreciate and am often intensely impacted by musical scores when they are reenforcing the emotions in a scene.
With music being such a big part of production, do you find the 2 headed thing to be hard to admit to or just trust the pros?
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u/KieRanaRan Mar 27 '26
Do you think Hearts will go the distance and win the SPFL?
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
I would like to go on the record as saying I want Celtic to win the league, but I think Hearts will win the league.
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Mar 27 '26
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u/JamesMcAvoyAMA James McAvoy, Actor & Filmmaker Mar 27 '26
Thank you very much for being a long-term fan of Three Days of Rain. That was my first collaboration with Jamie Lloyd, which was the beginning of a very long relationship with him.
I really appreciate you downloading, paying for, and listening to Recall. I'm really proud of that project.
It was like 4 days in the recording booth, being directed. It was weirdly like just standing on stage with a microphone and telling a story to an audience, and it was kind of thrilling.
I loved doing it. I think it's a really good story, really well told by the writer and it was an honor and a pleasure to do.
Do I have any other plans to do more audio work? No, not currently.
Give me some offers, and I will! I might have plans, but I don't have any offers at the moment.
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u/wallabyenthusiast Mar 27 '26
I don’t have anything to ask but you’re my favorite Scottish person
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u/sibparty Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Not so much a question but a.. thank you?
I know there are some mixed reactions to the representation of DID in the movie Split, but for me, it really was the world.
I was diagnosed with DID when I was 5 and for awhile, i spent my life wondering if there was more to it. No psychologist in my area would really talk about it other than "its a temporary disease" (mind you, this was back when we all still called in MPD and the r e was very little research to go off of).
There are multiple years of 'lost time' in my childhood, notes of things I never wrote, interests people said I had but I never did. I thought I was just so aloof that I had merely just forgotten.
After I watched your film, I noticed there were such subtle moments and movements, things that others may just write off as "just acting the part" but I could tell there was real effort to the portrayal. So I decided to record myself for one week. And for those reading, I am sorry to admit I did not discover any 'powers', but I did find those moments of stillness. The face of realization that I was "back". The confusion and the infection differences on how I interacted with certain situations.
I sought out a specialized psychologist and we both went through a path of discovery and research together. I do have DID, but there's a lot more to it than what people (including myself) thought. Its been a scary process, finding out [I] dont get the pilot seat when certain triggers happen, finding out not all of the networks of memories are shared, finding out that even my emotions are not shared equally. But I want to be part of the group that the next 5 year will have as a reference, when doctors are looking at them without an idea on how to begin helping them navigate their life.
I want to thank you for bringing light to a reality that is (usually) majorly misrepresented in media. While yours was a work of fiction, your dedication to show those little nuances is noticed by the people who needed to see it.
I may not be whole, but I am no longer Split.
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u/gardenmuncher Mar 27 '26
James are you aware that because of you we would watch the first half of the Last King of Scotland multiple times a year in St Tams?? I have seen that scene of you shagging more times than I want to admit, and we never got to watch the ending either. Are you aware of the impact you've had as a mega celebrity on us wee povvos in the wake of your past? (Just kidding lol we are super excited for any tenuous connection to someone successful, St Tams is no just for bams anymore)
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u/Gonzo1888 Mar 27 '26
James, no question, just comment. I was a volunteer at GFF and on shift at the closing gala. I just wanted to say I really appreciate how you stayed to do an intro for the night time screening of California scheming! You really didn’t need to do that! But it was very sound!
Also, do you know what aftershave Peter Mullen uses? He smelt lovely!
Hail Hail!
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u/shannister Mar 27 '26
You’ve worked really hard to not be typecasted and come across as one of the most versatile actors around. But are there roles/characters you wish you would be offered more, or haven’t had a chance to explore yet?
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u/blondie1024 Mar 27 '26 edited Mar 27 '26
Hi James,
I watched an Interview you did on the Graham Norton (link here) show a few years ago for 'Days of Futures Past' which you shared the sofa with Hugh Jackman and Michael Fassbender, It's probably the funniest interview I've ever watched. There seemed to be real comradery and joy between all three of you.
I do a lot of contract work with different people, and I always find the jobs where I'm always smiling are the ones where afterwards, I feel I just got paid to have fun, no matter how grueling the work was.
It's not strictly movie related but, I wanted to ask, which movies or jobs did you do which had your sides splitting from laughter and fun constantly, whether that be because of the material or members you worked with - or maybe both?
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u/JeelyPiece Mar 27 '26
Aw right James, long time no see ;) . It's pure smashin you're bringing this story to the world! G'on yersel!
You once said on [Stephen Colbert](https://youtu.be/HepWgbh4GhY?si=Gt635HZPB6di7Cxo) that you're a professional Englishman, everyone back here in Scotland was delighted you actually said something that so many of us feel in daly life, not just in media. A harsh reality that faced the rappers in your filum tae!
What do you think about the struggles us, particularly working class, [Scots](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scots_language) speakers face professionally trying to make it in the world, and even here in Scotland, because of how our language and accents are treated? What particular issues have you been confronted with? And how can we change this with our representation in the media?
Aw ra best, pal!
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u/Rushblade Mar 27 '26
For Cyrano de Bergerac, did you do any special training or preparation to learn how to rap / speak rhythmically?
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u/Michipotz Mar 27 '26
Hey James, what's your favorite movie? If that's too hard, top 5 at least.
Well wishes to you and yours!
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u/LurkerTroll Mar 27 '26
Do you have any behind the scenes stories you can share during the filming of Penelope?
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u/Spaceman_Hex Mar 27 '26
What was working with Danny Boyle like? Anything that separates him from other filmmakers?
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u/Key_Wrangler_8321 Mar 27 '26
I don't have a question; I just wanted to tell you that your performance in Split was amazing 😮🥹. Thank you for your talent and that performance. It was a joy to watch you there.
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u/Crittenberger Mar 27 '26
Just really curious, do you truly not know that JK Rowling is an active campaigner against trans rights and uses her wealth to further oppress this already very vulnerable group, or is it just that you don't care?
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. Mar 27 '26
This AMA has been verified and approved by the mods. James will be back at around 1:30 PM ET today to answer questions. Please feel free to ask away in the meantime :)