James McAvoy Recounts Early Career Bullying on Band of Brothers Set
The Scottish actor shared details of an intimidating experience on his first day as a professional actor.
Actor James McAvoy has described an instance of bullying he experienced on the set of the World War II miniseries Band of Brothers during his early career.
McAvoy, who has since achieved international fame, appeared in a single episode of the acclaimed HBO series, which aired in 2001. He told host Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live that his first day as a professional actor was marked by an uncomfortable encounter with a co-star.
"On my first day on set, there was like a ton of actors. It was one of those scenes with everybody in it, and we're at a bar," McAvoy recounted. He explained that the tension arose because he, a newcomer, had a significant number of lines for his one-episode role, while cast members who had been with the show for months had only minor speaking parts.
"They were all p***ed," McAvoy said. "And I come in for one episode and I've got like an arc and scenes. I've got tons of lines."
According to McAvoy, one of the actors present decided to single him out. "And so, one of the guys in that picture decided to bully me on my first day as a professional actor out of acting school," he stated. He described the actor pointing at him and laughing with his colleagues for approximately three minutes, in an attempt to intimidate him.
McAvoy, who was 22 at the time, did not name the individual he claims bullied him. He did, however, note that David Schwimmer was not involved and that actors Dexter Fletcher and Robin Laing offered him support by inviting him to spend time with them.
In Band of Brothers, McAvoy portrayed Private First Class James W. Miller, a real-life U.S. soldier. His character was killed in action in the Netherlands in September 1944. The series, executive produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, depicted the experiences of Easy Company of the 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II.
McAvoy's subsequent career includes major roles in the X-Men film series as a young Professor X, and as the lead in M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable trilogy, as well as acclaimed performances in films like Atonement and Split.
