James McAvoy has revealed an uncomfortable encounter with a co-star on the set of “Band of Brothers.” The actor claimed that a co-star mocked him on his first day, leaving him feeling humiliated.
James McAvoy recalls a Band of Brothers co-star mocking him on his first day of filming
McAvoy appeared on “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen” and discussed the challenges he faced early in his career. He said the situation on the “Band of Brothers” set became tense because he had more dialogue than actors who had spent months filming the HBO miniseries.
“All these guys were in it for nine months, 10 months, and they get one line in one episode and one line 10 episodes later. They were all pissed. I come in for one episode, and I’ve got an arc and scenes. I’ve got tons of lines,” he explained.
McAvoy played Private First Class James W. Miller in the fourth episode, “Replacements.” According to the actor, one of his co-stars was unhappy with him getting the role and encouraged others to join in mocking him.
“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 got him and his buddies to just stand pointing at me and laugh at me for, like, three minutes,” McAvoy said.
Cohen described the experience as “terrible.” McAvoy also remembered two colleagues, Dexter Fletcher and Robin Laing, stepping in to support him.
He said they approached him and told him, “Come hang with us, man.”
Despite the difficult start, McAvoy did not describe the entire experience negatively. He rated that first day a two out of 10 but gave the overall project a nine.
The actor also discussed other early career roles, including his film debut in “The Near Room” in 1995. He described the experience as “amazing” despite being “terrified.”
Among his favorite experiences was filming “The Chronicles of Narnia.” McAvoy called the shoot enjoyable and recalled spending months in New Zealand for relatively few working days.
