James McAvoy criticises Hollywood for treatment of Scottish stories
James McAvoy has laid criticism on Hollywood and the film industry at large for its marginalising treatment of Scottish stories and voices.
The actor was speaking in a new interview with The Guardian ahead of the release of his directorial debut California Schemin’ on April 10th, which charts the real-life story of Silibil N’ Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who pretended to be American in order to cultivate success.
McAvoy discussed how the message of the film has resonated with his own experience as an actor over the years, as he said: “With my accent, I’ve had that experience where I’m suddenly no longer a person with infinite possibilities and potential – I am ‘that Scottish person’. I’m reduced to a noise that comes out of my mouth.”
However, the X-Men star tried to then caveat this by adding: “I’m a white northern European male, so I’m aware that me going on about bias and prejudice is potentially quite treacherous territory, because there are people who’ve suffered much worse. Also, I’m quite successful, so what have I got to complain about?”
Despite this, later in the interview, McAvoy noted that the film industry’s treatment of Scotland as a country only primarily focuses on “unemployment, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, all the fucking abuse.”
He added that he considers himself among only five prominent actors from Scotland who can get films made, citing Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Karen Gillan, and Richard Madden as the others.
“We’re all over 35 and only one of them is a woman. I don’t know why that is, because it’s not like we don’t make actors. So where’s that 21-year-old movie star?” McAvoy said.
In his new film California Schemin’, McAvoy cast film newcomers Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley, the sons of Deacon Blue’s Ricky Ross and Lorraine McIntosh, as the central characters of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, the rapping duo.
California Schemin’ is set for release in the UK on April 10th.
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