James McAvoy in the Spotlight

I want to dedicate today's post to one of my favourite Actors: James McAvoy.

I first saw James McAvoy in Band of Brothers. He had a small role in the episode "Replacements". I remember that even though the role was small it was very powerful. His performance as Pvt. James W. Miller, a replacement, who does not survive a later attack, was moving and proved that no role was too small for James to show his talent.

The next project I saw McAvoy in was Shameless, the original British version. McAvoy played Steve McBride, the boyfriend of Fiona Gallagher (Played by Anne-Marie Duff, McAvoy's wife). He had some pretty entertaining story lines and the chemistry between he and Anne was obvious from the start. It's a really brilliant show so check it out if you're a fan of British humour and original writing.

McAvoy was almost unrecognizable in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe where he played Mr. Tumnus. Supposedly the young actress who played Lucy didn't even recognize him and her surprised reaction at seeing him in the film is genuine.

The next film McAvoy was in is, in my opinion, one of his greatest performances. The Last King of Scotland is not an easy film to watch. There are some very graphic images that still haven't left my memory. However it is an incredible film and I recommend it. The story follows recent Medical School graduate Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (played by McAvoy) as he travels to Uganda to work as a doctor. There he meets and becomes the private physician to the Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (a spectacular performance by Forrest Whitaker). What starts out as a good friendship fast becomes a frightening experience which Garrigan tries to escape from. McAvoy gets to keep his Scottish accent in the film which is actually rare considering in most of his films he uses a British or American accent.

McAvoy has had a great career so far for someone so young. His films following The Last King of Scotland include Penelope, a sweet love story starring Christina Ricci, Starter for 10, a funny British film  about a College quiz team, and Becoming Jane with Anne Hathaway, which tells the story of Jane Austin's romance with Tom Lefroy. Then he starred in the film Atonement, which put him further into the spotlight. The film is based on the book of the same title by Ian McEwan.  McAvoy stars as Robbie Turner, who in 1935 falls in love with Cecilia Tallis (played by Keira Knightley). Unfortunately Cecilia's 13-year old sister Briony sees their growing romance from a naive perspective and fears that her sister is in danger of Robbie. A terrible event occurs at the house and Briony points the finger at Robbie. He is sent to prison and is only released to be a soldier in the war. The book and film are beautifully written and all performances at at a high calibre.

Since then McAvoy has starred in a series of different films including Wanted, The Last Station, and X-Men: First Class. At 32 years of age he has proven himself to be an extraordinary actor, able to work in any genre and in a variety of different accents. He recently entered into a new and exciting role as father to his first child with wife Anne-Marie. That hasn't slowed his career down though, he has three more films coming out in the next year. McAvoy is definitely an actor to keep a look out for, he has worked with some of the earlier generations greatest actors and I have a feeling that he will be one of ours.