James McAvoy | Actor Appreciation

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He's Got the X-Factor

If you took a look at his resume, James McAvoy's is filled entirely filled with notable pop culture characters. He's Mr. Tumnus, Professor X, Lord Asriel Belacqua, Arthur Christmas and so many more. His range as an actor has let him take on a variety of genres from horror to action to fantasy. Let's take a peak at some of his most memorable roles throughout the years.

SPEAK NO EVIL

Playing the charming and unsettling Paddy, James McAvoy dives back into the horror genre with Speak No Evil, a psychological thriller of a dream holiday turned nightmare.

In an article from Collider, McAvoy talks about the key in balancing the charm and the underlying horror of the character. "The things you have to work with are this masculinity that he's portraying that, on one side, can so easily be toxic and be chauvinist, and so easily be dominant and not okay, but then there is another side of it as well, which is society does also want you to be masculine, too." (James McAvoy Explains Why We Need Another 'Speak No Evil' Movie, 2024)

X-MEN

For many, there are a few actors who come to mind when you say who is Professor Charles Xavier. James McAvoy's rendition of the character has put him up with some of the best portrayals of the character.

He has played the character since 2011 and has shown interest to continue to exploration of the character. "I'd love to take him evil. You'd love to take him bad. You'd love to make him go AWOL. There's tons you can do with that character, which is what they will do. Marvel will do tons with that character, and I cannot wait to see what they do with it. It's in good hands. It's still a part that is just so ripe for exploration for whatever lucky actor gets to do it." (James McAvoy Explains Why We Need Another 'Speak No Evil' Movie, 2024)

There is the potential for him to return to the role in future iterations but only time will tell.