James McAvoy’s Risky Move After Seeing Patrick Stewart’s Professor X Became His Most Successful Career Gamble
- Instead of mimicking Patrick Stewart’s Professor X, James McAvoy portrayed a flawed version of the character.
- McAvoy’s version of Charles Xavier was imperfect and emotional, which gave the character a humanizing arc.
- Although McAvoy is open to returning as Professor X, he has set some requirements.
In the world of superhero films, sometimes some characters get forever linked with the actors who portray them on screen. Audiences tend to associate a certain character with only a certain actor, as has been the case with Robert Downey Jr. for Iron Man and Hugh Jackman for Wolverine.
Another fellow X-Men, Professor Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, is also under this category. What is interesting is that the character was portrayed by Patrick Stewart and James McAvoy, and each of them had their specialty. But since McAvoy played this character after Stewart, he had an extra burden on his shoulders.
James McAvoy’s Vision and the Evolution of Professor X
Professor X first appeared in X-Men, which was released in 2000. Patrick Stewart portrayed Charles Xavier as a wise leader of the mutants, and since then, with further releases, there have been some changes in his character.
Stewart’s Professor X was wise, strong, and more emotionally balanced. It was necessary, as he became the established leader of the mutants by then, and his calm presence held the group together. Moreover, his nature was also needed to maintain peace and harmony between humans and mutants.
However, James McAvoy‘s version of the younger Charles Xavier was not as perfect as Stewart’s. McAvoy Xavier was raw, flawed, and emotional. In a recent interview with Letterboxd, the actor revealed the reason behind adding flaws to his character.
It was about taking them quite far away from and doing something very, very different, and then laterally, the role demanded of me to do something a little more similar, but still with a few more character faults and flaws and fatal flaws that I think we assumed that he might’ve had in an earlier time in his life.
McAvoy revealed that instead of mimicking Stewart, he acted the complete opposite of what he did. In an interview with GQ, McAvoy said that he wanted his version to look drug-addicted and have longer hair “just to show how far that journey is going to have to be to make him into Patrick Stewart.”
Although it might seem like a very intelligent addition to his role, McAvoy’s take on Professor X could have gone south if it had not been well calculated. The decision of humanizing the character to show the transformation from the young, reckless mutant to the leader has been one of the most successful career risks by McAvoy.
James McAvoy’s Potential Return as Professor X in the MCU
As MCU is now dealing with the multiverse in every aspect, it is natural for the fans to speculate whether James McAvoy will be seen again in his role as Charles Xavier. After Disney bought 21st Century Fox, the entry of mutants in the MCU is just a matter of time now.
However, as far as his potential return, McAvoy has remained candid so far. In a recent interview with BuzzFeed UK, he talked about how much he loved playing the character and believes it’s time for someone else to take on the role. He said,
That’s very kind. Although I suspect with both [Mr. Tumnus in Narnia] and [the X-Men’s Charles Xavier], we will be seeing someone else play those roles.
However, McAvoy has not closed the door completely yet. In an earlier interview with Entertainment Tonight, he laid out the conditions for his return. He said,
I’ve had no contact from them. If they want me to come back, they need to talk to me, and there needs to be a good script. They need to want me. When stuff like that happens or doesn’t happen, that’s the reality of it.
For McAvoy, returning just for the sake of it is not an option. He needs to give something new to the audience through his role. Although there has been no announcement about his return, fans would love to see him again, even if it is in a limited capacity.
The X-Men movies are available to stream on Disney+.
