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James McAvoy has described making his directorial debut as a ‘nightmare he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy.’
The Scottish actor, 46, went behind the camera for the first time to direct California Schemin’, which tells the true story of a rap duo from Dundee who pretended to be American in order to make it big in the music industry.
But while the film, which is due to be released on April 10, was a story close to the actor’s heart, he found it difficult to bring it to life as a director.
He told The Claudia Winkleman Show: ‘I knew I wanted to make films about people from low-income backgrounds, council estates or schemes as we call them in Scotland.
‘I wouldn’t wish directing and acting on my worst enemy… it was a nightmare.’
Elaborating on the challenges he faced, James, who is best known for his role in X Men, said it was difficult to focus on telling the cast what to do when the production faced issues like an absence of portaloos.
James McAvoy, 46, has described making his directorial debut as a ‘nightmare he wouldn’t wish on his worst enemy’
He told The Claudia Winkleman Show: ‘I knew I wanted to make films about people from low-income backgrounds, council estates or schemes as we call them in Scotland. I wouldn’t wish directing and acting on my worst enemy… it was a nightmare’
The Atonement actor added: ‘You’d literally be sitting there trying to go “I need more love” or “I need more comedy” and somebody is whispering in your ear “We can’t get the Portaloos for tomorrow”.’
Reacting to James’s brutally honest revelations about his first time in the director’s seat, fellow guest Rita Wilson, 69, weighed in on whether or not she’d try her hand at directing.
The Sleepless In Seattle star said: ‘I think I would direct if it was the right material…
‘What I am most interested in though is that this was a movie about rappers, and maybe my agents didn’t get to you, but I do spit some flow, James.’
Later in the show, James admitted to Rita that he still gets nervous around famous people – putting on a ‘working class voice’.
He said: ‘I was like that with your husband [Tom Hanks] … I have worked with him twice now when I was much younger.
‘I don’t know why but I do this thing sometimes when I get around famous people… and I go into this weird sort of put on working class [voice]… and I don’t know why that happens!’
James’s appearance on The Claudia Winkleman Show comes after he recently revealed that he welcomed his second son four years ago with his wife Lisa Liberati.
The Scottish actor went behind the camera for the first time to direct California Schemin’, which tells the true story of a rap duo from Dundee who pretended to be American in order to make it big in the music industry
Elaborating on the challenges he faced, James, who is best known for his role in X Men, said it was difficult to focus on telling the cast what to do when the production faced issues like an absence of portaloos
The actor made the revelation while talking about how he found fatherhood in his forties easier compared to when he became a dad for the first time to his now 15-year-old son Brendan, whom he co-parents with his ex-wife Anne-Marie Duff.
He told The Guardian: ‘Having a kid at 42 is definitely easier in some ways I worry less.
‘I’m a bit more philosophical. But it’s also harder, because you’re just older and tireder.
Of juggling fatherhood and acting, James said: ‘I’m getting all that first-timer stress in my 40s. When we were shooting the film, I’d wake up at 2:30am with the film buzzing in my head.
James suggested starting a career was a ‘young man’s game’. He said: ‘That’s the time that you work your socks off, burn the midnight oil, run the extra mile – and usually when you’re doing that, you’re in your 20s.’
The Claudia Winkleman Show airs on Fridays at 10:40pm on BBC1 and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
