Read All About the Life and Career of James McAvoy, the Wildly Talented Scottish Hunk!
From his rise to fame in 'Narnia' to his latest horror film, read all about his life and career!
One thing is certain about James McAvoy—he has a range that goes overlooked far too often. Perhaps you’ve seen one the countless films he’s starred in, whether it be a gripping period piece or a terrifying horror piece, but the fact of the matter is that the 45-year-old Scottish hunk can shine in just about any genre he takes on. Here, read about the early life and career of James McAvoy.
The early life and career of James McAvoy
McAvoy made his debut on the screen in 1995’s The Near Room before graduating from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. Over the course of the following years, he made appearances in several series such as Murder in Mind, Band of Brothers, White Teeth, Foyle’s War, Shameless and more before rising to fame for his role as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicle of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
In 2006, he starred alongside Christina Ricci in the romantic comedy Penelope. In 2007, he could be seen in Becoming Jane and in the same year, he starred opposite Keira Knightley in Atonement, all of which showcased his abilities on the romantic front.
James McAvoy movies and TV shows
In 2011, McAvoy took on the role of Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class, a part which he reprised in numerous films in its wake including X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men Apocalypse (2016) and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019).
One of his most notable movies was 2016’s Split, an M. Night Shyamalan psychological thriller film in which he played a man with dissociative identity disorder with 23 personalities who kidnaps a group of girls. In the film, McAvoy brought to life numerous alters, essentially playing countless different characters within one film. He reprised this role in 2019’s Glass, where he acted alongside Bruce Willis, Anya Taylor-Joy, Sarah Paulson and Samuel L. Jackson.
“It sounds really complicated and it is, but it’s really just doing my job the way that I always do my job, but doing it nine times instead of one time,” he told TODAY in 2017 referring to the multiple characters he brings to life in the film.
In 2019, he starred in the It sequel, It Chapter Two, as the adult version of Bill Denbrough, played by Jaeden Martell in the original film, and more recently, he could be seen in the show His Dark Materials and the newly released horror film Speak No Evil.
“I love doing it, but I don’t love the daily grind of the film and telly business,” he told GQ in 2022. “Even if it’s a good script, I certainly can’t rationalize going to work at five or six in the morning and staying out till eight o’clock at night. If my character hasn’t got an interesting part in telling that story it’s quite soul destroying. More and more I’m looking for interesting experiences.”
We can’t wait to see what experiences are next!
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