James McAvoy's big regret

Monday, 7 July 2008

James McAvoy was humbled by his trip to Uganda to shoot The Last King of Scotland - because the poverty he witnessed in the African country made him realise he had nothing to complain about.

The Scottish actor was brought up by his grandparents in the rough Drumchapel area of Glasgow after his parents split when he was just seven years old.

McAvoy had long considered himself to have lived a hard life, but once he witnessed first-hand the desperate conditions most Ugandans had to live in, he was more appreciative of his upbringing.

The 29-year-old admitted: "I used to think that (I had a tough upbringing). I used to have a bit of a working-class chip on my shoulder, because the area I come from is so rough.

"But then I went to Uganda to make the film The Last King of Scotland and I looked around at the poverty there, and I realised that, in relative world terms, I'm actually super-duper, upper-class, through-the-roof posh.

"Any chip I had on my shoulder about Glasgow was insulting to the people who lived in other parts of the world, and it made me completely re-evaluate my place in it."

James is currently starring in the action movie Wanted alongside Angelina Jolie. He says kissing Angelina Jolie was "never nice".

He is married to actress Anne-Marie Duff - and was desperate to star in an action film because he doesn't want to be typecast as period drama actor.

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James McAvoy (WENN image)