James McAvoy thanks his grandmother for helping him not to be afraid of failure.
The 45-year-old actor spent a lot of time with his beloved grandmother as a child and lived with her for a while after his parents divorced. He believes she gave him the tools he needed to survive the tough side of working in the entertainment industry.
He told the British newspaper Guardian: “I’m really lucky in many ways, especially because my grandma looks after me. I’ve definitely gotten a big dose of what she’s got…
“She doesn’t give a damn what other people think of her. That’s liberating. I can be embarrassed, but I’m not ashamed if I’m masculine enough. I’m not ashamed if I do something wrong or am out of touch and don’t know something that other people know.”
James added: “I think I’ve become jaded because I’ve spent my life being applauded or booed on screens and stages, and it’s a gamble. I don’t always win that bet. I can handle criticism because I’ve failed on both platforms, and failed badly, and I’m fine with it.”
James will next be seen on screen in Speak No Evil – a remake of the 2022 Danish film of the same name – and he recently admitted that he based his toxic character Paddy on notorious influencer Andrew Tate.
He told Empire magazine: “I thought I could exploit the following with the character: he thinks he’s a bit of a… Andrew Tate from the west of the country.”
“He says something like, ‘I’m going to show you what it’s like to be a man again.’ But there’s a kind of polite face that’s not quite Andrew Tate, but enough of the sheen of ‘I’m not one of those guys.’
“(Paddy) challenges you: ‘Do you have a dick big enough to have a drink with me?’ or: ‘I’m sorry, this is too much for you because you’re not real enough.'”
