James McAvoy, aged 47, has confessed that a scathing review of his performance in the 2011 film X-Men: First Class continues to wound him. Despite receiving widespread acclaim for his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise, the actor finds himself fixated on one particularly cruel critique.
The Hurtful Review
The review in question described McAvoy as "chubby," a remark that has lingered with him since its publication. Speaking this week, McAvoy said: "I have received incredible reviews, and the only thing I can remember is that one bad review. Isn't it nuts? It got to me because it was personal. It wasn't even that bad a review of my performance, but it described me as the Chubby McAvoy. And that's all I remember of any review for X-Men."
Box Office Success and Critical Praise
X-Men: First Class grossed approximately $353 million (£262 million) worldwide and earned McAvoy award nominations. The film's success led to his reprisal of the role in subsequent installments, including X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and X-Men: Dark Phoenix (2019). Days of Future Past, directed by Bryan Singer, became the sixth highest-grossing film of 2014 and the second highest-grossing in the franchise.
Fan Support
After McAvoy shared his feelings on The Romesh Ranganathan Show podcast, fans rallied to his defense. One supporter posted on social media: "Very strange comment since James McAvoy has never been chubby. Especially not in X-Men: First Class." Another added: "Seems a bit unnecessary."
The passage from the 2011 review read: "Meanwhile, chubby young Professor Xavier is played by James McAvoy as a nerdy, slightly CS Lewis-ish Oxford academic specialising in genetics, who lives with Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), a mutant whom he has been brought up with like a sister. Later, we are to learn that her remarkable genetic profile means that she won't age much — unlike the guys, who will wind up looking like Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen."
