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James McAvoy Unrehearsed
By Julie Jacobs Considering that James McAvoy won the first British Academy of Film and Television Arts' Orange Rising Star Award in 2006, and was named Breakthrough Actor of the Year by Studio Magazine/Chopard at last year's Cannes Film Festival, it's a safe bet that the Glasgow-born thespian is poised to join the next generation of leading men in the movies. Ever since he played doctor to Forest Whitaker's Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland, McAvoy has gained greater notoriety among filmmakers and filmgoers alike. It's been a steady climb for McAvoy, who graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2000 and then began accruing a solid roster of theater, TV and film roles. His first big break in the United States came with the HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," which he followed up with the SciFi Channel's "Children of Dune" and such movies as The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Wimbledon; and the Tom Hanks-produced Starter for Ten. Last summer, he wooed Anne Hathaway's Jane Austen on the big screen in Becoming Jane, shortly after wrapping the action thriller Wanted with Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. And now he's starring opposite Keira Knightley in Atonement, a tragic love story adapted from the Ian McEwan novel of the same name that moves from the English countryside just before World War II to the Battle of Dunkirk in 1940. Moving Pictures caught up with McAvoy during a well-needed respite from role playing. Moving Pictures: Growing up, you lived with your grandparents, who instilled in you an unconventional take on pursuing one's dreams.
James McAvoy: Yah, the idea that you can be whatever you want to be - I think that's unrealistic. But you should be allowed to try. They always told me I could try to be whatever I wanted to be, and that's just as positive. I think that, as a result, I'm quite a realistic person about my expectations and the future.
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MPM: How did you get into acting?
McAvoy: [Actor/director] David Hayman came to speak to my high-school class, and I found it quite interesting. I had a conversation with him afterward, and he wound up calling me for an audition months later and gave me my first job [The Near Room]. Then I went to drama school in Glasgow for three years, and then did theater in Scotland. After that, I did television and later film. MPM: You seem to have always been working. Has acting been like a ride you can't get off?
McAvoy: A little bit. But I've been ridiculously lucky. Things are going well. I think that the annoying thing about acting is your reaction to whether you need to rest or not. You might panic if you don't accept everything that comes along. MPM: How would you describe your work style?
McAvoy: I don't always like to rehearse, because I generally find that no one actually knows what to do with the rehearsal time. I like to do a lot of takes, even if the first two are okay. And sometimes you have to fight for them. MPM: What draws you to a project?
McAvoy: First it's the quality of the script; the story is most important. Then the character and whether I'm the right person to play it. After that, the director and then the cast. |
MPM: You've been racking up quite an impressive list of co-stars. With whom would you still like to work?
McAvoy: Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman. And I'd like to work with my wife again [Anne-Marie Duff, on Channel 4's "Shameless" and "The Magdalene Sisters"]. She's a great actress. MPM: Any interest in working behind the camera?
McAvoy: Yah; directing. But that's down the line. MPM: Atonement is based on Ian McEwan's best-selling novel. Are you a big reader?
McAvoy: Not ridiculously so, as of late. But I've read Lord of the Rings three times, from start to finish. I hadn't read Atonement before I screen tested. When [director] Joe Wright phoned me up to tell me I got the part, he told me to read the book because we were making a very authentic and respectful adaptation. In this case, I think it was very right to read it. I think that, in general, it's a good idea to read the book before adapting it to film. The script was the most amazing I've ever read, and I thought that the film could be something really special. Had I not gotten the part, I would have been devastated, but I felt that [during the screen test with Keira Knightley] we really worked at it. I felt I'd done the best I could. |
MPM: What's the greatest challenge of translating such a beloved book to the screen?
McAvoy: I think living up to audience expectations and being able to "battle" their imaginations. You really have to entrance people, so they're able to submit themselves to the movie. After all, you're telling them everything: what the character sounds like, looks like. MPM: What was your first impression of your character, Robbie Turner?
McAvoy: Well, he undergoes very much of a positive-to-negative transformation. He starts out a bit saintly. He's so good, untainted, and not in any conflict at all. Having never met anyone like that, it was a daunting prospect for me to play. But then he's destroyed physically and emotionally, and, as the movie progresses, he becomes much more recognizable, more dark, more human. His world view becomes very open. I had never played anyone like that before. MPM: In Atonement, a gesture is misconstrued and Robbie is falsely accused of a heinous act, which dramatically alters his life. Have you ever been falsely accused?
McAvoy: You know, I've been asked this question before and I can't come up with an answer. I really can't recall. Sorry, love. MPM: That's good, isn't it?
McAvoy: I think it's f-cking great! |
MPM: Did you learn anything about yourself from playing Robbie Turner?
McAvoy: Well, I hope it made me a better actor. It was a great professional experience, and the script was incredible and executed very well. As for what I've learned, I learn things every day and not just on the job - that's a huge conversation. MPM: How did you prepare for the scenes set during the Battle of Dunkirk?
McAvoy: We met with some veterans, which was very moving. They weren't able to tell us much, because it was too horrific for them to relive. But that was quite telling and an emotional truth that I really felt. They said, "When you're making this, just know how terrible it was." I remember we had just shot off the beach and we all burst out in tears. MPM: What was it like having the movie open the Venice Film Festival?
McAvoy: Daunting. But it was a big honor, and the movie received such a good response. MPM: How do you feel about being on the red carpet?
McAvoy: I'm comfortable with it. What I'm uncomfortable with is stepping in on someone else's road show. The whole celebrity thing and appearing at events you're not actually involved with, I have a big problem with that one. Images courtesy of Focus Features |
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