X-Men superstar James McAvoy has set his sights on a new mission: saving Scotland's struggling TV and movie industry. The Hollywood actor has vowed to demonstrate that his homeland has more to offer than projects centred on drugs and ancient battles. He wants to promote Scotland in more films and shows and showcase up-and-coming actors despite significant funding challenges facing the business.
The Glaswegian insists that Scotland “needs to be represented” more in film projects and worries about talented artists being overlooked.
Scotland's Golden Era and Decline
Scotland enjoyed a golden period of international film success during the 1990s, with productions including Trainspotting, Shallow Grave, and Braveheart helping put the country firmly on the movie map. However, the industry has faced mounting challenges since, with fewer productions made and financial support increasingly hard to secure.
McAvoy and producer Danny Page, who oversaw the X-Men actor's directorial debut California Schemin', worry about the harsh demise in their business.
McAvoy's Call for Representation and Funding
McAvoy, 47, said: “I feel like every person in every part of the world, whatever they look like, sound like, pray like, have sex like, needs to be represented on screen and in the arts. And not everybody is. My corner of the world is Scotland. So I felt a little bit of responsibility to make something Scottish. And also try to fill a gap that I don't see a lot of stuff coming out of Scotland doing. There's not that much coming out of Scotland and I would love that to change.”
He added: “There is a crop of young producers and talent and actors that are there ready to go, and it's just about finding finance and it's not as much of an industry in Scotland. So where does that finance come from? It has to be public subsidy and Screen Scotland does a great job but they need more money to spread around and so that Scottish people can have films made about themselves for themselves by themselves.”
Struggles to Finance California Schemin'
McAvoy spoke at an LA screening for California Schemin' supported by the St. Andrew's Society of Los Angeles. The film, which he stars in, tells the true story of two Dundee rappers who conned music industry executives in the 2000s by pretending to be Californian hip-hop artists.
Page said that despite the appeal of McAvoy, it was a struggle to finance the comedy drama. He said: “Right now we're at a pivotal point in the industry, especially for indie films. It's getting harder and harder and there's less and less being made. So everyone is a massive success. Government support is crucial. Screen Scotland backed us and they went above and beyond on this one and that was amazing.”
He continued: “But, budgets are more than sometimes a government can support you with and you need to get equity players. I remember trying to financially close this film while we were shooting it, and I was pacing up and down in a hotel room in the Holiday Inn in Dundee. Eventually, I think it was one o'clock, two o'clock in the morning, and Michael Mendelsohn called me, and he got on board on day number two. I didn't actually financially close the film until the wrap party.”
Page added: “So it's challenging, it's difficult, I'm hoping these stories will keep coming to the front, and it's so important especially for Scotland. We're a lot more than just men riding into battle, and drugs. There's so many amazing stories, and this is a great example of that. We are opportunistic, we are cheeky, and this is a lot of fun.”
McAvoy's Career and Directing Ambitions
McAvoy began his career at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama before moving into theatre, television and independent cinema. His screen debut came 30 years ago in the low-budget production The Near Room, in which he played Kevin. He subsequently became one of Britain's most sought-after talents, earning acclaim for films including Atonement and appearing in TV favourites Shameless and Early Doors, and he went on to become a global star playing Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.
Despite his Hollywood success, McAvoy knows first-hand how difficult it can be to get independent films made. He said: “It's harder than ever for independent cinema even for a movie like this which is a mainstream kind of crowd-pleaser of an independent film. It was hard. But it just takes people trying their hardest and sweating blood. It's always been like that in the industry. However, more so than ever before, it takes incredible dedication and sacrifice from the entire crew to get something made.”
Despite the challenges, the experience has only made the Scot hungrier for more work behind the camera. He said: “I definitely want to direct more. I will act again. I've done two acting jobs since I directed this and I'm going to do another one next year just to keep challenging myself. At the same time trying to learn the lesson that this film sort of tells or sort of gives or teaches, which is, you know, there's a big sacrifice. There's a big price to pay for making art, for being in showbusiness, for getting where you think you want to go and making sure that I'm not paying too much of a price to maintain that.”
Upcoming Role in Meantime
Last month McAvoy told of the psychological toll of playing a drug-addicted murder suspect in a television series based on Frankie Boyle's first book. The actor stars in the upcoming Sky adaptation of the comedian's acclaimed 2022 crime fiction novel Meantime.
Set in Glasgow soon after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, McAvoy plays Felix McAveety, a drug user who is trying to solve his friend's murder while struggling with addiction. McAvoy said: “It's a very dark comedy but the darkness of it frightened me. There's substance abuse and child loss, and ultimately the darkness gets to you after four months working on something like that.”
