Who I Love Right Now

JAMES MCAVOY

You probably knew this was coming from the second I started raving about him in my Atonement review! But please give me a little credit - I haven't plastered my bedroom wall with photos and there are currently no plans to travel to Scotland and stalk him. Progress! Truth is, I genuinely like the guy, and am continually impressed by the breadth and talent of his work. So, today you're gonna get a mini-gush and a few limited insights of my own.

I had never heard of him until he got a rather well-publicized role in Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as Mr. Tumnus, the fawn who befriends Lucy. The first time I saw the film, I remember being struck by a particular line reading; when Lucy introduces herself, she puts out her hand and Tumnus looks on, bewildered. Lucy says, "Oh, you shake it." Tumnus replies with a, "Why?" I couldn't possibly explain what was so entertaining about the way McAvoy said that "Why," but perhaps it stayed with me because it was not delivered the way one would expect a mythical creature in a children's movie to say it. It sounded dryly amused, chiding and playful, the kind of interaction had between adults, not the innocent, wide-eyed wonder usually found in almost all performances in a children's story. I'm sure if you check out that scene, you'll wonder what I'm going on about. It probably won't be as striking to you, especially after all of my hype. But it's there, and it's moments like that which really make me like the guy and look forward to his films.

Since then, I've seen him in three other films, most notably playing second-fiddle to Forest Whitaker's Oscar-winning role in The Last King of Scotland. In that film, McAvoy was a reckless, impetuous charmer and did a really great job. Unfortunately for him, most of the acclaim for that film was heaped on Whitaker's awesome performance. This summer I saw Becoming Jane, where he played a cocky romantic foil, a kind of combination of Mssrs. Willoughby, Darcy, and Knightley from Jane Austen's work. Then he was in Atonement, which, as you know, I've already raved about. In that film he dons a stiff upper-crust accent and has a lot of small moments (a burst of sheepish laughter, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth, a helpless expression of grief) that really make the character real to me, and more than just a wronged man in a period picture. I've seen clips of some of his earlier work, and I'm eager to see those films all the way through. He'll be in the upcoming Penelope and Wanted, both in which he'll have an American accent. I'm actually pretty impressed with his propensity for accents; he's played a lot of characters with ones different than his own, which is heavy Scottish, doing variations of British (1930's upper-crust, working-class, regional distinctions) as well as American, and Irish, and they've all been done well.

In addition to being impressed with his acting, I really like the guy in interviews. He did a series of them with Georgie Henley, the little girl who played Lucy in Narnia, and it was great to see how at ease he was with her and how he made her comfortable in the process. He's generally quick to laugh, tells great stories and anecdotes, and takes his work seriously. I also enjoyed one interview I saw where the interviewer tried to joke a bit nastily and McAvoy dished it right back at him. I really love how genuinely humble he is, and how he just doesn't talk about his marriage. You can tell he really respects their privacy. And from what I've seen, he usually speaks with great intelligence, insight and personality. Whether this is all a public ruse, I guess I can't say for sure, but if it is, he's got me sold, cause I would just love to hang out with him and pick his brain for an afternoon.

So, thanks for indulging me and my crush-of-the-moment. Below I've included a clip from one of his interviews; I found it hilarious and charming. Good luck with the accent!