James McAvoy was reportedly punched by a man at a Toronto bar late Monday evening while in the city for the Toronto International Film Festival, multiple outlets said.
A source told People the 46-year-old actor was at the bar with his wife, Lisa Liberati, and producers of his directorial debut, California Schemin', when an intoxicated patron was being escorted out at about 11:55 p.m. The source said McAvoy was struck by the man as he tried to deescalate the situation and that security and staff intervened to remove the person. The source added that McAvoy remained at the bar afterwards and "even laughed off the incident with other patrons."
The incident occurred after McAvoy attended the premiere of California Schemin' at the festival on Sunday. Daily Mail reported the altercation and said it contacted McAvoy's representatives and Charlotte's Room, the bar named in media accounts, for comment. People was the primary source for details of the encounter in the accounts published Monday night.
California Schemin' marks McAvoy's first outing as director. The film follows Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, a Dundee hip-hop duo who reinvent themselves as Californian rappers to secure record deals. McAvoy, who also appears in the film as a producer who signs the pair, has said he chose the story to foreground Scottish voices he considers underrepresented in cinema. "I wanted my debut to be Scottish, because we're underrepresented," he told reporters during festival promotion, according to excerpts published in coverage of the premiere. He added that many screenplays he had read were set on Scottish housing estates and lacked hope, and described his film as "aspirational and entertaining and comedic."
The film draws on the true story of Sillibil N' Brains, a Scottish rap duo that reportedly duped music executives by posing as Californians, secured a deal with Sony UK and recorded several unreleased tracks before their act collapsed amid alcohol problems and internal conflict. In real life, one member left the music industry and later worked in the oil sector while the other continued a solo career.
McAvoy's acting credits include Atonement, Wanted, Split and Speak No Evil. He was in Toronto for the festival, where California Schemin' premiered on Sunday; the reported bar incident took place the following night.
Representatives for McAvoy and the venue did not immediately provide public comment to media reports. No police involvement or formal complaint was reported in the accounts published Tuesday morning, and there was no indication from those reports that anyone was seriously injured.