| James McAvoy | |
| Appeared in | X-Men: First Class X-Men: Days of Future Past |
James McAvoy portrayed Professor X in X-Men: First Class and will reprise the role in X-Men: Days of Future Past.
Biography
McAvoy's acting debut came at the age of 15 in The Near Room (1995). McAvoy later admitted that he was not very interested in acting when joining the movie, but was inspired to study the craft after developing feelings for his co-star, Alana Brady.[9] He continued to act while still a member of PACE Youth Theatre.[10] McAvoy eventually graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 2000.[11] Throughout the early 2000s, McAvoy made guest appearances in television shows and began working on movies. In 2001, the actor appeared in a play entitled Out in the Open. His performance in the play as a gay hustler impressed filmmaker Joe Wright so much that he stayed on his radar and offered McAvoy parts in his movies, but to no avail, as the actor turned them down for years.[11]
He also starred in Privates on Parade in the Donmar Warehouse, this time catching Sam Mendes's attention.[3] Also during 2001, the actor appeared in Band of Brothers, an eleven-hour World War II miniseries by executive producers Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.[12] It was shown on the HBO network.[13] He gained the attention of critics in 2002's made-for-television adaption of the book White Teeth.[14]
During 2003 McAvoy appeared in the Sci Fi Channel miniseries Frank Herbert's Children of Dune, adapted from Frank Herbert's novels. It is one of the highest-rated programs ever to be aired on the channel.[15] More cable work came for him when he accepted the role of an unprincipled reporter in 2003's State of Play. The well-received six-part British drama serial tells the story of a newspaper's investigation into the death of a young woman and was broadcast on BBC One.[16][17] Calling the program a "must-see", the Chicago Tribune recommended State of Play for its cast's performance.[18] During 2002, McAvoy shot scenes for Bollywood Queen. Called West Side Story meets Romeo and Juliet with bindis, the movie deals with star-crossed lovers caught in the middle of clashing cultures. It was shown as a special presentation at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and opened in UK theatres on 17 October.[19][20] In 2004, he acted in a supporting role in the romantic comedy Wimbledon, also featuring Kirsten Dunst as a co-lead.[21] His next project was voicing a character named Hal in the 2004 English version of Strings, a mythic fantasy film.[22] Another 2004 release for him was Inside I'm Dancing, an Irish production helmed by Damien O'Donnell. In it, the actor was cast as the principal character: a maverick with duchenne muscular dystrophy.
McAvoy rounded out 2004 by appearing in the first two seasons of Shameless as Steve McBride, the moral hero of the BAFTA-winning Channel 4 program, giving the actor a big break in his career.[24] His public profile was raised in 2005 with the release of Walt Disney Pictures's The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. McAvoy starred in the fantasy adventure film made by Andrew Adamson and based on C. S. Lewis's'children's novel as Mr. Tumnus, a faun who befriends Lucy Pevensie (played by Georgie Henley) and joins Aslan's (Liam Neeson) forces. It was given a UK release of December 9. At the UK box office, this movie opened at number one, earning around £8.7 million at 498 cinemas over the weekend.[25] Worldwide, Narnia grossed £463 million, making it the 41st highest-grossing film of all-time worldwide.[26] That succeeding year he also accepted the principal role of Brian Jackson, a nerdy university student who wins a place on a University Challenge quiz team in the mid-1980s, in Starter for 10. He was directed by David Nicholls, who adapted the film's screenplay from his own book. The British/American production was given distribution in the UK on November 10. 10 scored a rating of 89% on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes based on a sample of 75 reviews.[27] In spite of the positive buzz, the movie flopped at the box office, unable to recover its production costs of £5.7 million.[28][29]
Forrest Whittaker had suggested McAvoy to director Kevin Macdonald for the role of Nicholas Garrigan in 2006's Academy Award-winning low-budgeted The Last King of Scotland.[30] McAvoy portrayed a Scottish doctor that becomes the personal physician to dictator Idi Amin (played by Whittaker) while in Uganda. While the movie is based on factual events of Amin's rule, the story between the two is fictional and adapted from Giles Foden's acclaimed 1998 novel. He assessed his character to be a "completely selfish prick."[8] An overwhelmed McAvoy fainted during his first take of what would be the hardest scene for him to shoot, Nicolas's torture.[31] McAvoy was named Best Actor of the year by the Scotland's own BAFTA Awards, where the film swept the major categories,[32] and received a nomination from the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. The movie itself walked away with three wins, including the honour for Outstanding British Film of the Year.[33] This was accompanied by praise for McAvoy's performance.[34]
Following that, he played Irish attorney Tom Lefroy and love-interest to Jane Austen in Becoming Jane, a 2007 historical movie inspired by the author's early life.[35] Next up was Penelope, which premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.[36] Also starring co-producer Reese Witherspoon, it generated polarised reviews.[37] The breakthrough role in McAvoy's career came in Atonement, Joe Wright's 2007 adaption of Ian McEwan's novel of the same title. A romantic war film, it focuses on lovers Cecilia and Robbie's (Keira Knightley and McAvoy) lives being torn apart after her jealous younger sister (Saoirse Ronan) falsely accuses him of a crime. Upon reading the script, McAvoy thought to himself, "if I don't get the part I'm not reading the book because it'll be devastating. It's an amazing role and I really wanted it."[38] McAvoy has called the movie "incredibly sad" but considers it an uplifting experience. He also shared that he hoped viewers will be left "absolutely devastated and harrowed."[39] Screenings of Atonement were held at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was one of most acclaimed films present, and Venice Film Festival.[40][41] Atonement was a big awards contender; it was nominated for fourteen BAFTAs and seven Academy Awards.[42][43] Both McAvoy and Knightley were nominated for their performances at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, respectively.[44] Additionally, the film was lauded by critics, with Metacritic reporting it to have an approval rating of 85.[45] The Hollywood Reporter writer Ray Bennett said the duo gave "compelling and charismatic performances".
One of the biggest highlights of McAvoy's career was starring opposite Angelina Jolie and Morgan Freeman in Wanted, an action movie where he personified Wesley Gibson, a young American slacker who learns he is heir to a legacy of assassins. When McAvoy screen-tested for the role, he was initially rejected because the studio was seeking an actor with conventional Hollywood leading-man looks and physique. He later recalled being considered the "runt of the litter" of those who tested, but ultimately got the part in late 2006 since the studio "wanted someone geeky."[47][48] While shooting action scenes for Wanted, he suffered several injuries, including a twisted ankle and an injured knee.[49] Nonetheless the actor said he had a "good time" doing the movie. McAvoy had never done this type of genre before and thought of Wanted as a chance to be more versatile.[50] Loosely based on the comic book miniseries of the same name by Mark Millar, it saw a June 2008 release worldwide. It received favourable reviews from the press, who generally liked that it was fast-paced.[51] At the box office, Wanted was a success, grossing £207 million against a £45 million production budget.[52] Next was The Last Station (2009), a biopic that details the final months of celebrated writer Leo Tolstoy and also stars McAvoy's wife.[53] It was shown at a limited amount of screens in the US.[54] Although most critics' awards paid attention to co-stars Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer, the Satellite Awards nominated McAvoy for Best Supporting Actor.[55]
He also appeared onstage in 2009 at Apollo Theater's Three Days of Rain.[56] He accepted the job of voicing the male titular character in Gnomeo and Juliet (2011), an animated movie based on William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.[57] In Robert Redford's historical American drama The Conspirator, McAvoy played the role of an idealistic war hero who reluctantly defends a co-conspirator charged in the Abraham Lincoln assassination. It premiered at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival.[58] While this movie garnered mixed reception, critics lauded the actor for his work. In Owen Gleiberman's assessment of The Conspirator, he found it "stiff-jointed" and tedious, but regarded McAvoy as "an avid presence".[59] In mid-2010, McAvoy was cast as telepathic superhero Professor X, leader and founder of the X-Men, in X-Men: First Class.[60] He joined an ensemble that included Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Kevin Bacon. Based on the Marvel Comics and a prequel to the film series, it is set primarily during the Cuban Missile Crisis and focuses on the relationship between Professor X and Magneto and the origin of their groups. McAvoy admitted that he was not familiar with the comics as a child, but was a fan of the cartoons since the age of 10.[61] Released to the UK on 1 June, First Class topped its box office with ticket sales of around £5 million during its opening weekend.[62] First Class was also reviewed favourably.