James McAvoy Once Faked a Northern British Accent to Land an Audition: 'It Didn't Go Well'
James McAvoy Once Faked a Northern British Accent to Land an Audition: 'It Didn't Go Well'
Rachel RaposasFri, April 10, 2026 at 5:20 PM UTC
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James McAvoy in London on April 8, 2026Credit: Simon Ackerman/WireImage -
James McAvoy once attempted (and failed) a Northern English accent for an audition, he said
McAvoy, who hails from Glasgow, Scotland, admitted he was "just making stuff up" in the audition, which ultimately "didn't go well"
His directorial debut, California Schemin', follows a sort of similar plot: two Scottish boys fake being a Californian rap duo to achieve stardom
James McAvoy is opening up about one particularly bad audition.
In an interview with The released on Wednesday, April 8, ahead of his new movie's release, the California Schemin' actor and director admitted he once tried — and failed — to secure a role by adopting a Northern English accent.
The audition took place in Manchester "years and years and years ago," McAvoy began. Before going in, his agent told him the casting directors "only wanted to see people from the neighborhood," so McAvoy — who hails from Glasgow, Scotland — quickly tried on his best regional accent attempt and went in.
James McAvoy in Paris on Jan. 24, 2026Credit: Dave Benett/Getty
Inside, the casting directors greeted him and began by asking McAvoy for his name and where he's from. "Ah, right mate, I'm from ... Wethenhulme?" the actor said in his exaggerated Northern English accent.
In hindsight, he admitted, "I don't know where the hell I'm from, [I'm] just making stuff up. And it didn't go well."
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After leaving the audition room, the Split star ran into another famous face in the waiting room: Tom Hardy. McAvoy recalled the Venom actor giving him a comically disbelieving look, and smirking as he said, "Alright, mate."
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California Schemin', which marks McAvoy's directorial debut, follows a bit of a similar plot. According to the film's synopsis, two Scottish boys from Dundee "conned the music industry by pretending to be an established Californian rap duo, bagging a record deal and appearing on MTV until their scam unraveled."
The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2025, is based on Gavin Bain's 2010 memoir, California Schemin': How Two Lads from Scotland Conned the Music Industry, and was released in the United Kingdom on Friday, April 10.
California Schemin' features Samuel Bottomley and Séamus McLean Ross as Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, respectively, making up the rap duo Silibil N' Brains. McAvoy also stars in the film, alongside The Testaments' Lucy Halliday, Rebekah Murrel, Jennifer Winn and James Corden.
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
