“I pretended that my friend had been…”: James McAvoy’s “biggest lie” to Get Out of Doing a Musical Will Have X-Men Fans Glad He Didn’t Pull This Trick on Professor X Role
- James McAvoy once told a significant lie to avoid an audition for a musical, which he hilariously recounted in a recent interview.
- Despite his initial interest, McAvoy fabricated a story to escape the audition, leading to a call from his agent on never setting him up for a musical again.
- McAvoy’s iconic roles in X-Men and Narnia gives way to newness, as he continues to captivate audiences with his latest projects like Speak No Evil.
Portraying a young Charles Xavier aka Professor X of Fox’s X-Men, James McAvoy has a career that goes much beyond it. However, his handling of that comic-book role landed him praise and acclaim from fans and critics alike, making it one of his most iconic performances. Additionally, he also brought about an emotional depth to the famed character, making him a widely recognized face in global entertainment.
As such, it would have been an absolute loss, both for the Scottish actor and the fandom at large, if McAvoy had shied away from even auditioning for this role. While such an example may seem far-fetched for a star of his caliber, it is almost exactly what he resorted to for one role during his early career, despite initial interest.
James McAvoy once lied his way out of an audition in the most hilarious way possible
Following his then-newfound passion for acting, James McAvoy made his acting debut at the age of 15. Soon after, his breakthrough role as Mr. Tumnus in 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe brought him international recognition. However, somewhere in between those years, when he was in his early twenties, he admitted to telling his “biggest lie”, which ironically, for an aspiring actor, was to get out of an audition.
In a recent appearance on the Heart, the X-Men franchise veteran made up and narrated a story about his friend getting hit by an ambulance to back out of an audition for a musical. Moreover, the casting team also went ahead with his version and suggested he “go be with him”.
The biggest I ever told was to get out of an audition that I didn’t want to do. I pretended that my friend had been knocked down on my way to the audition. So I went into the audition just going ‘I do not want to do this’ and I was like ‘I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry, my friend just got hit by an ambulance.’
All of these excuses came because McAvoy did not want to “sit there playing the guitar” or sing “West End-y” songs despite providing an initial confirmation to his agent. As expected, the latter, upon getting the hang of all of these, stated to the actor that they would never set him up for a musical audition ever again, stated the actor, visibly chuckling.
James McAvoy believes his X-Men and Narnia days are past him as Speak No Evil begins screening
Initially coming in as a soft reboot for the Fox X-Men universe, James McAvoy stayed on as Professor X for four movies. Additionally, while his predecessor, Sir Patrick Stewart, also reprised his role as the older omega-level mutant in MCU’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, the Scottish actor has only made grim comments.
On similar lines, his role as Mr. Tumnus in the first Disney Narnia movie may also fade out of memory. The franchise is headed for a reboot at Netflix under Barbie director, Greta Gerwig. Yet, the Atonement actor believes his time is done and past him for both of his iconic franchises.
In talks with BuzzFeed UK, McAvoy stated,
I suspect, with both [Mr. Tumnus in Narnia] and [the X-Men’s Charles Xavier], we will be seeing someone else play those roles.
Even as the news may air disappointment for fans of the Hollywood star, they may find comfort that he is still active and currently on-screen. Playing the character of Paddy, a seemingly charming man with sinister desires, his antagonistic side is on full display in the horror-thriller, Speak No Evil. Carrying a gripping plot, it has found good reception, as current ratings dictate.
