James McAvoy nervous on set of directorial debut
James McAvoy was nervous on the set of his directorial debut California Schemin' - which is based on the true story of two Scottish friends, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who pretended to be an American rap duo.
James McAvoy was nervous on the set of his directorial debut.
The 46-year-old actor stepped behind the camera to helm California Schemin' - which is based on the true story of two Scottish friends, Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who pretended to be an American rap duo – but he wasn’t confident on set at first.
Patriot Pictures CEO Michael Mendelsohn, who financed and produces California Schemin,’ told The Hollywood Reporter: “I would often say to him, James, let’s not talk to the director right now. Let’s talks to James McAvoy the actor. James McAvoy the actor can read the phone book and make that fantastic. And I don’t know why James McAvoy as the director is doubting himself. You’ve got it, my friend.”
Mendelsohn also revealed how hard James worked on the movie.
He said: “James was the first to the set every day. He beat the grips, the truckers. And he was always thoughtful about the other workers and the movie.”
James was drawn to California Schemin' - which is based on Gavin's memoir – because he feels it shows how his fellow Scots face barriers to success due to their accent.
He said: “In my journey, in my world, did I feel less than? Yeah, a little bit, because to this day there just isn’t a lot of work out there for people with Scottish accents, unless they’re able to change their accent.
“I understood there wasn’t a lot of work out there for people who sounded like me.
“Rap music is all about the streets that you come from and what made you. And they let that go. So could they keep themselves sane? Could they keep their relationship with each other? Could they keep their relationship with their own sanity, while forsaking their roots? In a less sensational way, that has been my journey for 30 years.”
