James McAvoy Sr. James McAvoy: “I am an interesting subject for psychoanalysis. Biography and personal life of James McAvoy

Before the helmet, he takes off his leather jacket. He is wearing heavy boots. Jeans with holes. Casio watches are priced at approximately $100. But above all this is the most open, cheerful look. We meet in the area where he lives, which looks like an old English country town. My interlocutor squints blissfully, exposing his face to the rays, and I cannot resist being sarcastic. But it turned out that sincere incontinence is the best way to win over this man.

Psychologies:

You once said that you consider freckles to be the main drawback of your appearance. But the sun is so beneficial for them!

Would you like to have the appearance of Brad Pitt?

Yes, I’m fine anyway. I have average height, paper-white skin, five kilos of freckles - all paths are open to me! No, really. I am not a hostage to my data, I can be whoever I need to be. That is, I want to say that I looked good with a ponytail and hooves - in The Chronicles of Narnia. Agree, Brad Pitt in this role would take the film far towards the grotesque.

I was probably 23–24, I was filming “...And in My Heart I’m Dancing.” And then I realized something about myself - it’s good that it’s quite early. It was a film about residents of a home for the disabled who were unable to move independently. I played a stunning, full-of-life guy diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle atrophy that leads to almost complete paralysis.

I like to be ordinary and in this sense invisible. Seventy meters. I don't sunbathe. Gray hair

To play this role, it was not enough for me to master the plasticity of those suffering from this disease, that is, complete immobility. I've talked a lot with people with this diagnosis. And I learned that they prefer to remain unnoticed. Because they are afraid of pity.

Then I suddenly felt that this position was somehow very close to me. There’s nothing to feel sorry for me for, that’s not the point. But I like to be ordinary and in this sense invisible. Seventy meters. I don't sunbathe. Gray hair. The average European.

Still from the movie “Split”

It’s unclear how you became an actor and star with such an opinion of yourself.

Firstly, I did not strive for either one or the other. And secondly, in my youth I was much more ordinary than is generally necessary for life. I was 15 and wanted something more than being a normal guy from a normal school in a normal area of Glasgow. I was not an excellent student and did not get noticed by the juvenile affairs inspectorate, the girls did not particularly like me, but they did not refuse me when I invited someone to dance. I wanted to be special in some way.

And then a rock band appeared at school. And it turned out that you can be somewhat different, different, and such people suddenly surrounded me. I stopped being afraid to be different. I left the circle of safety where everyone was like everyone else. And then the literature teacher invited her neighbor, actor and director David Hayman, to our school to talk about cinema and theater. And Hayman played Lady Macbeth in an all-male production at the Theater here in Glasgow.

It was a famous performance! And the guys from our school... In general, the meeting was not very positive. And I decided to thank Hayman - so that he wouldn’t think that he wasted his time on us. Although, maybe earlier, before the rock band, I would not have dared - this is an act “not like everyone else.”

And the fact that Hayman, oddly enough, remembered me. And when about three months later he was preparing to film “The Next Room,” he invited me to play a small role. But I didn't think about becoming an actor. I studied well and got a place in the English department at the university. I didn’t go there, but entered the Naval Academy.

But an invitation came from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Theater, and I did not become a naval officer. So everything is pretty normal. I am a person of completely ordinary actions; everything exceptional happens to me exclusively on the screen.

With ex-wife Anne-Marie Duff at the BFI London Film Festival, 2007.

Still, you have committed at least two unusual actions outside of your profession. You married a woman almost 10 years older than you and divorced after ten years of a seemingly cloudless marriage...

Yes, Anne-Mary, my ex-wife, is older than me. But, believe it or not, it never mattered at all. We met on the set of Shameless, we had a common cause, one profession, common interests and an indivisible life. Do you understand? I can’t even say that first we had an affair, and then we connected.

It was all at once - love, and we are together. That is, it was immediately clear that we were now together. No premarital courtship, no special romantic politesse. We immediately found ourselves together. What didn't matter was age.

But, as far as I know, you grew up without a father... There is an opinion, perhaps a common one, that boys who grew up in single-parent families tend to seek parental attention from those older than them...

Yes, I’m generally a good subject for psychoanalysis! And you know, I look at these things calmly. We are all suitable for some kind of analysis... I was 7 when my parents divorced. My sister and I moved to live with our grandparents. Grandfather was a butcher. And my mother either lived with us or not - we were born when she was still very young, she needed to study and work. She became a psychiatric nurse.

We lived with our grandparents. They never lied to us. They didn’t say, for example: you can become whatever you want. This is not true, I don’t want to sow false hopes in my child either. But they said: you have to try to become what you want, or at least become someone. They were realists. I received a practical, non-judgmental upbringing.

One tabloid published an interview with my father, whom I, in general, did not know. He said he would be happy to meet me

Until the age of 16, he lived according to strict rules approved by his grandmother. But at 16, I suddenly noticed that I could do whatever I wanted, and my grandmother, accompanying me to a party, reminded me that I needed to stop by for a beer. My grandparents waited for the moment when they could trust me, when I could make my own decisions and take responsibility for them... At the age of 16, it was an amazing adventure - making my own decisions. And as a result, I'm actually quite practical.

I know who I am, where I come from... When I received my first British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) award, one tabloid published an interview with my father, whom I, in general, did not know. He said that he would be happy to meet me.

This surprised me: why does he need this? I definitely don’t need to - I have no questions about the past, there is nothing unclear in it, I don’t need to look for any answers. I know what made me who I am and I look at things from a practical point of view. Life has turned out in such a way that we practically don’t know each other. Well, there’s no point in bringing up the old stuff.

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon

But life also turned out quite well, you must admit. What if it didn't work out?

My probably best friend, Mark, and I remembered what we were like when we were 15 years old. Then we had a feeling: no matter what happened to us, we would be okay. Even then he said: well, even in 15 years we will be washing cars on the side of the road in Drumtotti, we will still be fine. And now we have decided that we will sign up for this now. I have this optimistic feeling - that the question is not what place I occupy in the sun, but how I feel about myself.

There are too many canons in the world to maintain status... For me there are definitely too many

That's why I'm amused by my colleagues who insist on signs of their status - on these huge trailers-dressing rooms, on personal hairdressers and the size of the letters of their names on posters. There are too many canons in the world to maintain status... For me it’s definitely too much.

In general, this desire for solo under the sun is incomprehensible to me. I'm a team member by nature. Perhaps that's why I ended up in the school rock band - what's the point of playing great if the rest of the team is out of tune? It is important that the overall sound is harmonious.

I liked both the theater academy and this profession, because theater and cinema are a team game, and it depends on the make-up artist, on the artist, no less than on the actor, although he is under the spotlights, and they are behind the scenes. And all this becomes obvious if you look at it from a practical point of view.

By the way, that’s why after the divorce we continued to live together for another year - not only so as not to destroy Brendan’s way of life, but because neither of us had any serious personal plans. We remain our closest friends to this day and always will be.

Don't make me a mere rationalist - sometimes I succumb to the dictates of feelings. For example, at first I refused to act in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby, although I fell in love with both the script and the role. But there is the motive and origin of the plot - the death of the hero's little son. And shortly before that, Brendan was born. I categorically did not want to take on such a loss. Could not. And the role was wonderful, and the film could have turned out amazingly poignant, but I still couldn’t get over this fact in the script.

James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe played the main roles in the film "Victor Frankenstein", 2015

But then you still played in this film?

A year has passed, the feelings have subsided. I stopped being terrified that something would happen to Brendan. I'm used to it being normal when I have Brendan. By the way, yes - this is the exceptional thing that happened to me outside the cinema and stage - Brendan.

I’ll tell you even more... Activists, fighters for Scottish independence sometimes try to involve me in their campaigns. Do you know what their goal is? So that we Scots will be richer after independence. What kind of incentive is this to become richer?

A century ago, the Irish fought for independence and were ready to die for it. Is anyone ready to shed blood for this “becoming richer”? What I mean is that practicality is not always a worthy motivator. In my opinion, only feelings can be a real incentive to action. Everything else, as they say, is decay.

James McAvoy is an actor who was noticed after the release of the film “Inside I’m Dancing,” and the film “Penelope,” where he was paired with Christina Ricci, helped consolidate his creative success. In general, James is such a charismatic person that he can transform into almost any character, easily getting used to his roles, it doesn’t matter at all whether it’s an intelligent hero or some kind of madman, he is good in all guises. But, like any person, McAvoy had his own bumps in the road to fame; no one gave him a magic wand, so he had to pave the path to success himself.

Height, weight, age. How old is James McAvoy

Height, weight, age. How old is James McAvoy - the actor is thirty-eight years old, his height is 1.70 centimeters, and his weight is sixty-four kilograms. They say that there are too few accidents in life, and even if they do occur, they cannot be called such at all, in the sense that everything is to some extent predetermined from above. In James' case, this also happened. The boy really wanted to become a priest when he grew up or to go to hot and distant Africa in order to save the population there from hunger. The nuance that allowed me to reconsider my goals was getting up early in the morning! That is, perhaps the young man would have become a good clergyman if he did not have to wake up every day at six in the morning, this went against his biological clock.

Biography and personal life of James McAvoy

The biography and personal life of James McAvoy is marked by the date of his birth - April 21, 1979. The future actor was born in Glasgow, Scotland. The young man made his debut in the world of cinema when he was fifteen years old. The boy was born into the family of a psychiatric hospital nurse and a builder. At that time, his parents’ financial side of life left much to be desired; they constantly experienced a lack of funds, which ultimately led to the fact that his parents, unable to properly cope with the current situation, divorced. James was only seven years old at the time. After his parents divorced, the boy could no longer communicate with his father, their family connection was lost.

Filmography: films starring James McAvoy

After leaving school, James entered the Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, from where he graduated in 2000 as a certified actor. McAvoy’s acting filmography now consists of such films as: “Split”, “Mud”, “Split 2” is planned for release in 2019.

Family and children of James McAvoy

Family and children of James McAvoy – as mentioned above, the actor’s parents are divorced. James has a sister named Joy. The actor's attempts to create his own family were unsuccessful, despite the fact that he twice attempted to find his soul mate in the bustling world of success and fame. Both women had an undeniable influence on James’s way of life and worldview, but they could not stay in his life for long. However, despite all the irony of his success as an actor and failure in his personal sphere, McAvoy did become a father, and he has a son from his second marriage. It is this fact that prevents us from saying that the actor’s personal life story is completely unsuccessful. She's just minor.

James McAvoy's son Brendan

James McAvoy's son Brandan was born on June 16, 2010. The actor was together with his second beloved at that time. James, remembering very well his childhood after his father left their family, so as not to repeat a similar situation with his son, decided to live with his now ex-wife in North London during the absence of the filming process. Thus, the actor’s son will be protected from various types of psychological trauma that could negatively affect his growing up and vision of the world as a whole. The most important thing is that the boy has his parents, who, despite their personal conflicts and disagreements, will always treat his personal needs with understanding, care and, most importantly, support.

James McAvoy's ex-wife Emma Nelson

James McAvoy's ex-wife Emma Nelson is the girl with whom the actor lived, although in a civil marriage, but still in a marriage. And it lasted exactly nine years. Nelson was the actor's classmate. The reasons for their separation were not advertised anywhere, and there were no loud scandals either. The couple simply separated. But it cannot be said that this separation passed without a trace for the actor, or rather, for his mental state, he began to drown out his mental pain and emotions that were not splashed out in time in various types of alcohol. Over time, James fell more and more to the bottom of alcohol, because the breakup with his girlfriend coincided with a period of crisis in his acting career, forming a kind of creative crisis, which he absolutely did not want to put up with and was painful.

James McAvoy's wife - Anne-Marie Duff

James McAvoy's ex-wife Anne-Marie Duff was born on October 8, 1970 in London, UK. Anne Mary is an English actress with Irish blood running through her veins. They met their future husband James while working on the TV series Shameless, where they played a couple. The girl appeared in the actor’s life at exactly the right moment, she became his reliable anchor, also helped to establish self-esteem, and literally begin to respect his life again. The actors got married on October 18, 2006, having been married for ten years, it became known that on May 13, 2016, James McAvoy divorced his wife. However, the couple managed to separate, while maintaining friendly relations, primarily for the sake of their joint child.

Instagram and Wikipedia James McAvoy

James McAvoy's Instagram and Wikipedia are on public display. Fans know that the address of his Wikipedia page is: https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/McAvoy_James. The address of the page on the social network Instagram is also not classified information and it is easy to find the account, just follow this link: https://www.instagram.com/jamesmcavoyrealdeal/?hl=ru. After divorcing his wife, the actor began an affair with young actress Alexandra Shipp, whom he met on the set of the film “X-Men.” Their affair was known to the entire film crew. His career is moving forward; in 2017, several films will be released in which McAvoy took part.

James McAvoy is a Scottish actor who has had a brilliant career in Hollywood. To this day, the artist is considered the most unpredictable performer in choosing roles. Moreover, the popularity of the project or lack thereof does not diminish the public’s love for it. Each work of James convinces critics and audiences of his incredible talent.

Childhood and youth

James McAvoy was born in the capital of Scotland. His father, James McAvoy Sr., was a builder, and his mother, Elizabeth Johnston, was a nurse. James has a younger sister, Joy, who became a singer and leader of the Scottish girl group Streetside.

After his parents' divorce, James was raised by his grandparents, while his sister remained with her mother. The boy went to Jordanhill Catholic School for Boys, dreamed of becoming a priest for some time, and later thought about a career in the United Kingdom Navy. But at the age of 16, the young man met David Hayman, an actor and director.

The next year, James McAvoy plays with him in the fantasy action film Wanted, where he gets the main role of the chosen ideal killer, despite McAvoy’s small height (170 cm and weight 64 kg) and the generally “non-dangerous” appearance of McAvoy.

On March 12, 2017, the spy thriller Atomic Blonde premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival. The main roles in the thriller were played by James McAvoy and. The film tells a fictional story about spy games in Berlin in 1989 before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Personal life
In his youth, McAvoy dated Emma Nelson for a long time, with whom he went to school. The young people even lived in a civil marriage for about 6 years. The actor was worried about breaking up with his lover and even fell into depression.
On the set of the TV series Shameless, he met actress Anne-Marie Duff. They dated for about 2 years, and in 2006 they officially registered their relationship. In 2010, Anne-Marie, who is 9 years older than her husband, gave birth to a son, Brendan. The artist has no other children yet.

View this post on Instagram

In May 2016, McAvoy and his wife divorced. The actors maintained friendly relations and decided not to leave, so as not to traumatize the psyche of their little son. When Anne-Marie and James are not busy filming, they live together in North London.
On the set of the film Split, the actor met M. Night Shyamalan's assistant Lisa Liberati. Soon, James and Lisa began a friendship, and then began an affair, according to the press. The actor does not confirm this relationship, but journalists rely on the words of eyewitnesses and rumors. The British press calls Liberati and McAvoy teenagers in love who text and laugh a lot.
In the fall of 2019, information appeared that the artist secretly married his chosen one. This was announced by the actor’s close friend, director Jamie Lloyd. McAvoy himself remains silent, but reporters noted that the lovers began to wear wedding rings.

View this post on Instagram

James does not hide other aspects of his personal life from fans. The actor maintains an official account on Instagram, where he publishes both photos from social events and selfies with friends.

James McAvoy and his wife Anne-Marie Duff were married for 10 years. But recently they decided to get a divorce. In order not to generate rumors humiliating the couple, the former spouses themselves told the public about this decision.

Family life of James McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff

The actors met in 2006 - then they both starred in the series “Shameless”. They dated for a short time, and a wedding ceremony took place six months later. For a long time, their family life flowed smoothly and happily; in 2010, the couple had a son, whom they eagerly awaited and welcomed his birth with great joy. They were repeatedly seen walking with the child - both looked happy and in love. It seemed that each of the spouses was playing their best role - fatherhood and motherhood suited James and Anne-Marie so well.

James McAvoy with his wife and son were considered the ideal family for several years. But, as you know, star marriages often break up due to frequent filming and the inability to spend time together, as well as because of temptations - there are many interesting and beautiful people in the acting community.

Is James McAvoy divorcing his wife?

The ex-spouses admitted in an interview that it was quite difficult for them to make the decision to divorce. They do not regret 10 years of marriage, and, despite the fact that they will each live their own lives, they promise to remain good friends, to maintain a feeling of friendship for each other, especially since their son needs this. Of course, Brenden is worried about his parents’ divorce, but they do their best to help him get through this period.