James McAvoy has spoken about the “bias” that Scottish actors face in the wider film industry. The Atonement and X-Men: First Class star, born in Glasgow, said that his accent had led him to be “reduced” in the minds of prospective collaborators.
“[Bias] is that thing that stops you being regarded as a person and makes you something smaller,” the 46-year-old told The Guardian. “With my accent, I’ve had that experience where I’m suddenly no longer a person with infinite possibilities and potential – I am ‘that Scottish person’. I’m reduced to a noise that comes out of my mouth.”
McAvoy, who has directed the new musical drama California Schemin’, added, however, that others had “suffered much worse” from Hollywood bias, and acknowledged his own success. “I’m a white northern European male, so I’m aware that me going on about bias and prejudice is potentially quite treacherous territory, because there are people who’ve suffered much worse,” he said. “Also, I’m quite successful, so what have I got to complain about?”
Nonetheless, McAvoy pointed out that he had played “four or five Scottish people in my entire 30-year career”. California Schemin’ is based on the true story of Silibil N' Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who affected American accents and personas to be taken seriously in hip-hop. McAvoy drew parallels between his own experience being pigeonholed and that of the musicians.
The industry had, he said, decided that “this is what Scottish things are like – and it’s unemployment, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, all the f***ing abuse…” He continued: “I do want to tell stories about working-class people with backgrounds that I recognise and limited horizons. But I don’t know why they can’t be entertaining. I don’t know why they can’t be adventures.”
McAvoy also claimed that there are only a handful of Scottish actors with enough clout to get projects made. “There’s maybe five actors in Scotland who could get stuff greenlit,” he said, “and not definitely, if it’s set in Scotland.” He cited Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Karen Gillan, and Richard Madden. “And we’re all over 35 and only one of them is a woman,” he added. “I don’t know why that is, because it’s not like we don’t make actors. So where’s that 21-year-old movie star?”
