He wanted to be a priest when he was growing up, but instead
James McAvoy is making waves as one of the most promising and
successful young actors in the business. It wasn't so much
a crisis of faith but more a bout of teenage laziness that led James
McAvoy away from the priesthood and eventually into acting. "I stopped
going to Church because I couldn't be arsed," he is happy to admit.
In
the nine years since he made his acting debut, it certainly seems that
the acting world has benefited from the Church's loss, as James McAvoy
has proved himself to be a rare breed- an actor who's never been out of
work.
In his short career James has crammed a lot in, so far
appearing in ten TV series (including supporting roles in State of
Play, Early Doors and White Teeth), eleven films- playing the lead role
alongside Preeya Kaldis in Bollywood Queen, and as gossip columnist
Simon
Balcairn in Stephen Fry's Bright Young Things amongst
others, and not to mention numerous stage plays- most notably as
Private Steven Flowers in Privates on Parade. Not at all bad
considering James never really considered acting until director David
Nyman visited his school and called him up six months later suggesting
that he audition for the film, The Near Room. "I hadn't thought about
acting until the chance was put in front of me by a complete fluke. If
I hadn't got into drama school, I probably wouldn't have become an
actor because I'd have thought: oh well, its not for me" James says.
Most
recently seen as loveable rogue Steve McBride in Shameless, Channel 4's
Mancunian comedy drama about a dysfunctional family living on a council
estate, James McAvoy is fast proving that he is one of the best actors
of his generation, some critics going to far as to say he is the best
thing to come out of Scotland since Ewan McGregor. Despite fast
becoming a household name, James is a little more apprehensive and is
quick to admit his insecurities about his profession, saying in a
recent interview, "I accept jobs that I think I'm not right for. Or not
not right for' but which deep down I think God Im not good enough for
that."
Insecure or not, the secret to James McAvoy's success
ultimately lies in the fact that he simply is a very good actor who has
made very good and varied career choices, proving himself to be
extremely versatile and capable at whatever he turns his hand to. At
the same time he was offered Shameless, James was also offered a part
in a Hollywood film, but instead of following the big bucks and jumping
the plane to LA, he chose to stay on British soil and work with writer
Paul Abbott again (the two worked together on State of Play.) "When
you're had a collaborative experience with someone and you get the
chance to do it again, you jump at it" he explains. The gamble paid
off, Shameless was met with excellent review, the Guardian newspaper
called it "the drama that everyone is talking about." It's got
something to say and it knows how to say it. And the unheard of
happened- a second series was commissioned before the first ever
episode aired.
However he chooses the roles he takes, James
is on to a winner- the current series of Shameless has just finished
showing on Channel 4, but he won't be disappearing from our screens for
too long- this summer James stars in two very different films- one a
big budget affair starring alongside some of Hollywood's hottest
talent, and in the other he stretches his ability further than ever
before in his most challenging role to date. In "Wimbledon", James
appears alongside Paul Bettany and Kirsten Dunst in the story of a pro
tennis player grappling for his last chance for glory. Whilst in
"Inside Im Dancing" his character suffers from muscular dystrophy- a
wasting disease that often causes the death of its sufferers by their
mid-twenties.
As well as a second series of Shameless, James
McAvoy is also set to reprise his role as journalist Dan Foster in
State of Play and another series of Early Doors is on the cards. For
the man recently named as Scotland's second most eligible man behind
Big Brother winner Cameron Stout and ahead of Pop Idol comeback king
Darius, the future certainly looks bright.
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