James McAvoy’s known for taking on some meaty roles in heavy films like Atonement and The Last King of Scotland, so he was just as surprised as the rest of us to find out he landed the lead role in Timur Bekmambetov’s graphic novel adaptation of Wanted.
McAvoy’s character Wesley Gibson starts off as a down-on-his-luck slacker working a dead end job, but it doesn’t end there. While standing in line at the pharmacy he learns that his father, who left when he was a baby, was involved in a fraternity of assassins and now they want him to join them.
Hollywood.com received a ring from the Scottish actor to chat about the film that has him kissing Angelina Jolie, doing his own stunts and more.
Hollywood.com: Every time your character Googles himself he comes up empty. What is the funniest thing you’ve ever found searching your own name?
James McAvoy: Oh god, it wasn’t funny it was terrible. I Googled myself about four years ago, it was the last time I did it and I got a terrible review for a film I had been in and a character I played, basically slagging off my performance. That was the last time I ever Googled myself. I was a terrible victim of my own narcissism.
HW: Could you relate to this character working a mundane office job?
JM: I didn’t work any office jobs, but I worked in a bakery for two years between the ages of 16 and 18 and that was the most horrible daily grind job I ever had. I worked as a milkman for a couple of months at one point. I worked in bars as a bus boy and things like that…that was kinda tough. I think that was it for daily grind jobs, but they were bad enough.
