Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

James McAvoy gets turned down for Hollywood roles because he's considered 'too short'

He described it as a 'kick in the nuts'

Jacob Stolworthy
Saturday 23 November 2019 11:40 GMT
Comments
His Dark Materials - trailer

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

James McAvoy has said he gets turned down for roles because he’s considered “too short”.

The His Dark Materials actor revealed in a new interview: “As a shorter man, I sometimes get told I’m too short for a role.”

He told The Telegraph: “Or even when I get a role, I’m made to feel like, well, of course, we’re going to have to do something about that.”

McAvoy, who is 5ft 7in, also said that a person playing his female love interest once questioned if he was the right person for the role “because nobody would believe [he] would be with someone like her.”

“That was a kick in the nuts,” he continued.

“I was like, ‘All right, now I’ve got to pretend that I really like you for eight more weeks. This is going to be really tough, because you’re so far up yourself.’ It got really interesting, that relationship.”

He didn’t make it clear who he was referring to.

McAvoy added: “Sometimes you’re made to feel like you’re not good-looking enough to get a role.”

The actor was interviewed alongside Jamie Lloyd, with whom he’s collaborated on new play Cyrano de Bergerac, which opens at the Playhouse Theatre on 6 December.

His Dark Materials continues on BBC One this Sunday (24 November) at 8pm.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in