Beautiful: The James McAvoy Theory

James McAvoy is a Scottish actor who is recognized for a variety of well-received roles and memorable characters. He appeared in a single episode of Band of Brothers, which first brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Children of Dune provided his first experience in a starring role (he portrayed the main character for two of its three chapters). He then jump-started his career in the UK as Steve McBride on Shameless (UK version). From being once solely known by worldwide moviegoers as "that guy who played Mr. Tumnus," McAvoy has since achieved mainstream success and acclaim after starring as the lead in The Last King of Scotland as Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (which earned him the BAFTA Rising Star Award) and the Academy Award-nominated Atonement as Robbie Turner (which led to a Best Actor Golden Globe nomination), as well as box office hits: Wanted as Wesley Gibson, and the X-Men First Class trilogy as the young Charles Xavier. His role in X-Men: Days of Future Past is considered by many critics to be one of the finest examples of acting in a comic book movie. He has also performed in a dozen major plays as of 2015 (a full list can be found here), and has been thrice nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the lead character in Three Days of Rain, Macbeth and The Ruling Class. Some theatre critics have even stated that James' stage work is superior to his strongest film roles. McAvoy describes himself as "not ugly, but not your classic lead man, Brad Pitt guy." His fans beg to disagree. He is well-known for his striking blue eyes, red lips and crying in pretty much every movie he's ever been in. Here's some stuff that you didn't know about him. Want to take a look? Nothing to offend him, please enjoy! (ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO TV.TROPES but there's one by me! Can you find it?)

James Acting Roles Type: For most of his career, he has portrayed Wide Eyed Idealists, but as of 2013, his roles have taken a much darker turn, as many of his characters have severe psychological issues (e.g. Trance, Filth, Welcome to the Punch, X-Men: Days of Future Past and Victor Frankenstein). You wouldn't expect a slim, 5'7", non-macho actor be the star of an action movie, but he got to do just that in Wanted. In Trance, it's disconcerting to learn that his character is a homicidal Domestic Abuser. Many people were surprised to see him as the greasy, racist, misogynist, homophobic, fast-food and drug junkie cop Bruce Robertson in Filth. In Victor Frankenstein. He was almost always Type Cast as a Wide-Eyed Idealist, he often appeared in Period Pieces, and he had about a dozen roles where he portrayed an intellectual character. Between 2013 and 2015, however, he was Playing Against Type as all of his onscreen and theatre personas suffered from mental illness. McAvoy's interpretation of Mad Scientist Victor Frankenstein combines all of these elements; Victor is a dark character, but even he possesses a hint of naïvety when he says things like, "I dream of a world where hope replaces fear." That line of dialogue could have been spoken by the benevolent Dr. Charles Xavier (which is McAvoy's most famous example of Type Casting), but in Victor's case, his idealism is mixed with Sanity Slippage, and they twist him into a Well-Intentioned Extremist. Those who have attended test screenings for Victor Frankenstein have described James' role as a cross between Professor X and the psychologically disturbed Bruce Robertson (which is the actor's most notable Playing Against Type performance).

He's Mr. Fanservice: This occurs quite frequently in his career, and one can't help but suspect that a lot of directors he works with like to present him as a sensual figure to the audience. McAvoy himself acknowledges that it's part of his job to "get naked [...] in front of the camera," and he also adds, "The amount of times I have to get my naked backside out surprised me.Wow, they're really lingering on this shot. [..] This has got more screen time than my face. My face, my ass, what a combination." He couldn't have known that his very first acting gig (The Near Room) would start this trend; his character practices boxing without a shirt in one scene. With a title like The Pool (listed as Swimming Pool on IMDb), his character would of course end up wearing only his swimming trunks. He spends a large amount of his screen time in Children of Dune looking like a shirtless Adonis. At one point in Shameless (UK), he is stark naked with red roses covering his groin area. He also exposes his buttocks to moon another character. His character's chest is bare while watching TV in Wimbledon. In The Chronicles of Narnia, it's justified that he's a Walking Shirtless Scene because his character is a faun. Shakespeare Retold gives the actor a couple of Shirtless Scenes. In The Last King of Scotland, he can be seen in various stages of undress, including a couple of moments where his character is butt-naked, plus there is Male Frontal Nudity for a split second. We see his bare torso in Starter For 10 when his character is getting ready for a date. In Becoming Jane, his character takes part in a boxing match without his shirt, and later in the movie he strips off all his clothing so that he can bathe in a river, which results in Male Back Nudity. Has a scene in Wanted where he's both bare-chested and dripping wet. In The Last Station, his character has a couple of sex scenes, so naturally he reveals a fair amount of skin. Is briefly nude in Trance (although his hands cover his genitals). He provides Male Back Nudity in Filth, although his pasty and slightly chubby appearance may also count as a case of Fan Disservice. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby features him shirtless when Conor is physically intimate with his wife. A downplayed example in X-Men: Apocalypse; Professor Xavier owns a white shirt with vertical strips of semi-transparent material, so parts of his chest are somewhat visible. Rule of Sexy is in play here because it's out-of-character for him to put on a garment which could potentially be distracting to some of his students. (Another way to look at it is if a female teacher had worn the same shirt, it would be considered inappropriate.) It's the first time in the X-Men film franchise where Charles is mildly objectified, and it's a deliberate attempt by the filmmakers to evoke the Hot Teacher trope.

Dude Looks Like a Lady: At least at first glance, a few viewers have genuinely mistaken him for an androgynous-looking female in a couple of roles. Tumblr has given James the nickname "Actual Disney Princess" for his excessive prettiness as Sergeant Bloxham (the 2000 TV movie Lorna Doone), Leto Atreides II, and Brian Jackson. Respectively, fans have noted that the actor looks almost like a live-action version of Belle, Sleeping Beauty (minus the blond hair) and Snow White. It turns out that James is aware of what the fandom has said about his mildly girlish appearance note, An interviewer asked what his favorite Disney princess is? His answer is Snow White. Any chance the guy could play a cross-dresser in the movie film? I think people would want to see that! 

Even the Guys Want Him: It seems James's appearance seems to attract not only girls but guys too. A male journalist from CraveOnline.ca (who is presumably straight) gushes over the actor's attractiveness: "When James McAvoy stares at himself naked in the mirror (and I think most of us would if we looked like James McAvoy), I have a sneaking suspicion that he scowls. He's such a damned pretty human being, but if you look at his films, he only really seems to get off on playing total bastards. The endangered subconscious of Simon from Trance. The easily corrupted Dr. Garrigan from The Last King of Scotland. Even Professor Charles Xavier seems kind of like a d**kbag when James McAvoy gets a hold of him. McAvoy's boyish good looks and playful sleaziness make these scoundrels much more charismatic than they by all rights deserve, and his performance in Filth may be his assholish pièce de résistance." Benedict Cumberbatch thinks that James is gorgeous: "I have wanted to play roles that have gone to much better-looking people than me and you think: 'Oh well, that's the pin-up guy's part...' for an actor like my friend James McAvoy, who's gorgeous on screen." Also, Daniel Radcliffe may have a bit of a man crush on McAvoy: "I don't view my face as particularly interesting to watch, whereas some actors you can't take your eyes off, like James McAvoy. I think I could watch him read the phone book." After complimenting James' "incredible blues" (referring to the actor's expressive eyes), Jon S. Baird then made a Love Confession. Baird stated: I love you, James. James' reply? "I think I'm going to get lucky tonight." After the first two official behind-the-scenes images of Victor Frankenstein were released, several heterosexual guys on Reddit were willing to admit that they find McAvoy attractive. Here are some examples: "McAvoy is lookin' Franken-fine.", "Please be a guy, so I'm not the only one that thinks this, too. Something about that guy. Handsome as all fuck. Yes, I'm jealous.", "Yup same here - Have man crush on him.", "My exact thoughts.", "I'm a straight (as straight as the Kinsey scale allows, anyway) dude, McAvoy is a damn fine looking dude. No shame in admitting that.", and "He makes me question my sexuality". He actively encourages his fans to ship him with his good friend and X-Men co-star Michael Fassbender. Ditto with Daniel Radcliffe, who shared an onscreen bromance with McAvoy in Victor Frankenstein.

Older Than They Look: He appears a few years younger than his actual age, especially when he is clean-shaven. Guess which picture is older◊ than the other.◊ This collage◊ also demonstrates that his face has hardly changed over an eleven-year period. For X-Men: Days of Future Past, Honest Trailers made the mistake of describing McAvoy's character as a "young man," a term usually reserved for males who are under 30; Xavier is in his late thirties/early forties in 1973, but it's easy to forget that because of the actor's youthfulness. If it weren't for James' stubble in this photo, he would look nearly the same age as the adolescent actors.

What Beautiful Eyes: Well, that's what he's known for right? Got the part as Robbie Turner in Atonement because the character is described as having eyes of optimism, and so does James, according to its director. Joe Wright says: "He has his eye on a very bright horizon" After Charles Xavier is shot in the spine in X-Men: First Class, the glare of the Cuban sunshine shrinks his pupils, which makes his irises appear very large, and they are a stunning shade of vibrant blue, especially in close-up. His Innocent Blue Eyes are shiny and wet with tears due to the intense physical and emotional pain, and it marks the character's Break the Cutie moment. Filth director Jon. S Baird mentions in this interview that McAvoy had to dull the beauty of his "incredible blues" in order to keep the character of Bruce Robertson as unlikable as possible, but there was one exception. Interviewer: "Jon, I wanted to ask you this. I mean, James does have these very sympathetic eyes, and was it important for you to glaze those over in the film, and neutralize that trait of his? Because that's a trait for a lot of his good guy roles, it's something directors really lift and emphasize." Baird's reply was: "Yeah, ... the thing about Bruce is...that he's an outrageous character, and the only person who sees him as a human is a character called Mary, and Bruce tries to save her husband's life, and she sees him as a hero. There's a scene between them where James' blue eyes really pop out, and you see the humanity of Bruce there, and it's a beautiful image. But he managed to hide them for the rest of the film. At that moment, I don't know what it was, but he let the audience in to the humanity of the character with those incredible blues." In X-Men: Days of Future Past, 1973 Xavier collapses after the serum wears off, and there are a few close-ups of his eyes. The colour of his irises is quite vivid, and they fully express his mental anguish and vulnerability in that scene. It's a stark contrast from his hopeful and confident Innocent Blue Eyes in First Class. His baby blues were also acknowledged by InStyle magazine with the title, James McAvoy May Have a Filthy Mouth, But All We Can Focus on Are His Soulful Blue Eyes "The movie-star blue eyes, however, command your attention the way a forehead tattoo might. They light up to punctuate profanities (every other word) and stay lit when he makes fun of you for being so skittish."

Pretty Thing Needs Some Recognition: Even when he portrays the lead character, he is occasionally ignored or placed in the background of promotional materials. Children of Dune: Leto Atreides II is the central focus of two of its three episodes, but he's very small on the poster, and you don't even get to see McAvoy's face. This gets rectified for the North American DVD release. The Last King of Scotland: Dr. Garrigan is the main protagonist, but Forest Whitaker completely dominates the theatrical poster and the North American Blu-Ray/DVD cover. Atonement: For the official Japanese poster, Keira Knightley is much more noticeable than her male co-star, even though James has the most screen time. Wanted: Despite receiving first billing, he is considerably smaller than Angelina Jolie on the poster and the standard DVD cover (which used the same picture), but he's treated more fairly on the Blu-Ray artwork. X-Men: Days of Future Past: Although Hugh Jackman does have the most screen time of any single actor, the central character of the story is the younger Xavier, but James McAvoy takes up a meager amount of space on the official poster. Jennifer Lawrence is more famous than McAvoy, so Mystique's prominence on the poster is equal to Wolverine's despite her role being smaller than Charles'. Moreover, McAvoy is absent from the Blu-Ray/DVD cover for The Rogue Cut, which has Michael Fassbender's Magneto (who also is a bigger star than McAvoy) as its largest figure. Victor Frankenstein marks the first time in James' career where he is more visible than the first-billed actor. The story is told from Igor's perspective, yet McAvoy has slightly more prominence than Daniel Radcliffe in the trailers, the theatrical◊ posters◊ and the old-fashioned alternate poster created by professional artist Ciara McAvoy. Moreover, the film was known as Igor for a time, but the title was later switched to Victor Frankenstein. Radcliffe is more famous than McAvoy (e.g. the former's IMDb STARmeter is almost always consistenly higher than the latter's), so it's strange that the marketing department chose to give more focus on the less well-known actor. Seriously! Give this guy some recogntion, will ya? Geez! Many critics thought he deserved an Academy Award nomination for his strong performance in The Last King of Scotland. A year later, many were surprised that he was once again denied an Oscar nomination for Atonement. Although Helen Mirren and Christopher Plummer both received Oscar noms for The Last Station, James' performance, which in the eyes of some critics was the soothing balance to Mirren's Chewing the Scenery, was ignored. Numerous fans, critics and fellow actors of McAvoy were upset that he has been left off the list of nominations at the 2014 BAFTA awards despite his stunning turn as a depraved policeman in Filth. An online poll by a British newspaper showed that 94% of the voters believed James should've been nominated. Martin Compston (Filth co-star) tweeted:' "Not only was James McAvoy in Filth best performance of last year, it was one of best I've seen in my life." James' excellent acting in X-Men: Days of Future Past raised again the question among critics if comic book movies should be taken more seriously by the Academy Awards.

He don't mind the die hard fans: His die-hard fans call themselves McAvoyeurs. James is aware of this and has a generally positive attitude towards them: "...I did know that. That's been kicking about for a good three, four, five years now. It's kind of lovely, I have to say. They have proved to be the nicest, the most respectful, and kind, supportive fans over the last few years. McAvoyeurs tend to be really nice, really chilled out. There's no hysteria, no craziness, so whenever I meet fans, I can always tell a McAvoyeur because they're pretty cool." Hee, isn't he sweet? These exceptional fanvids are guaranteed to make any McAvoyeur smile. "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" is beautiful montage of his film and TV roles up until 2014. "Sunshine in the Rain" has more or less arranged the actor's interview, award show and behind-the-scenes clips in chronological order, so it feels like you're following his career as you're watching the video.

Delivery God Yato is James' Twin: Yato is a god who attempts to build his own shrine. He wears a jersey and a so-called "fluffy-wuffy scarf", and refers to himself as "Yato God" (Yatogami). When his current Shinki (Divine Weapon) quit, he was unarmed until he met Hiyori and Yukine. He calls himself "delivery god" and often puts his own cell number on several common places in case someone needs his help. He usually charges for 5 yen, what Japanese people usually give when praying at a shrine. He used to be a feared God of War, known as a "God of Calamity." Bishamon despises him for killing her clan of Shinki, the -ma clan, which she vows to take vengeance for. You know, Yato and James are alike. They both have beautiful eyes, they both are beautiful and they are funny at times! But two different people who are real and fictional. 

What a Geek:  Surpringly, he's a geek himself! And he has his dorky yet adorable moments. MTV reporter Josh Horowitz invokes this when he asks James McAvoy (whom Josh recognizes is "a big ol' geek") what an X-Men vs. the Avengers battle would look like. The actor's passionate defense of the X-Men fandom is totally Adorkable! He was a huge fan of the Dune novels prior to starring as Leto Atreides II in the Children of Dune miniseries. He also adored The Chronicles of Narnia, and considers it an honour to have been able to play Mr. Tumnus, who was his second favourite character in the books (Aslan being his ultimate favourite). He loved The X-Files as a teen and fancied Agent Dana Scully, so he found it intimidating to work with Gillian Anderson, whom he kissed in The Last King of Scotland. He has stated that one of the reasons he wanted to play Professor Charles Xavier was so that he can embody a young Captain Picard, and he was also fond of the X-Men animated series when he was younger. He can hum the theme song from memory. Cited Captain Kirk from Star Trek: The Original Series as the hero he'd most like to meet. Has been seen in a Cheetara T-shirt several times. Is he an anime fan by any chance? LOL! (Yeah, yeah, I'm obsessed with it! Sorry!)