In Hollywood, it can be amazing how much an actor's career can change by chance. A perfect example of that is James McAvoy landed his much-acclaimed role in the movie Split due to a chance meeting he had with M. Night Shyamalan at Comic-Con.
Given how important it is for actors like McAvoy to choose the right projects to star in, it says a lot when he passes on a notable project. That makes it fascinating that McAvoy once turned down a fortune to star in a highly acclaimed movie that starred Seth Rogen.
Why Did James McAvoy Pass On Starring In 50/50?
In the year 2011, the movie 50/50 came out with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Anjelica Huston in the starring roles. Thankfully for everyone involved in the film, 50/50 was a huge hit both critically and commercially.
When 50/50 was released and the world got to see how great Joseph Gordon-Levitt was in the film, virtually everyone was blown away by his performance. As a result, Gordon-Levitt wound up being nominated for and won several acting awards for his performance.
What a lot of film fans don't realize is that before Gordon-Levitt agreed to star in 50/50, James McAvoy was cast in his role. At the time that McAvoy left the project, his exit was blamed on "personal reasons" and Rogen reacted to McAvoy's departure with a statement to MTV.
"It’s incredibly unfortunate that circumstances outside of everyone’s control have taken James away from the project, but, with James’s blessing, we were able to have Joseph step in to take on the [lead] role of Adam. We all look forward to working with James in the future."
Rogen's MTV statement was extremely classy, to say the least. Similarly, when Daniel Radcliffe refused to appear in one of Rogen's most popular comedies, everyone involved handled that situation great as well.
When a major star leaves a project not long before filming is set to begin, that can lead to a lot of drama both in the press and behind the scenes. However, once McAvoy's reasons for his departure became clear, it makes sense that Rogen dealt with the situation with so much class.
At the time that 50/50 was set to be filmed, McAvoy's wife Anne-Marie Duff was pregnant with the couple's son who was born in 2010. Wanting to make sure that he wouldn't miss his son Brendan McAvoy's birth, McAvoy walked away from 50/50.
When McAvoy decided not to star in 50/50, he gave up more than just a starring role in an acclaimed movie. McAvoy also had to turn down his 50/50 salary which would have paid him more than £1 million.
Once you factor in both the rate of conversion from pounds to American dollars and inflation, McAvoy missed out on being paid more than $2 million.
For major actors like Tom Cruise or Ryan Reynolds, losing $2 million wouldn't be that big of a deal since they are already so rich. Since McAvoy reportedly has a $20 million fortune as of this writing, walking away from $2 million like that is much more significant.
Based on what a source close to McAvoy told The Telegraph, however, the actor cared more about witnessing his child's birth than anything else. "James wants to be there when his baby's born."
Sadly, there is one more reason why passing on 50/50 was significant for McAvoy. No matter how successful McAvoy has become, getting roles can still be hard for him because he is five foot seven inches tall as he told The Telegraph in 2019.
“And, as a shorter man, I sometimes get told I’m too short for a role. 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.” Just like McAvoy, Rogen had to overcome something to become a movie star since he has Tourette’s syndrome.
Why James McAvoy Hates Actors Who Want To Be Famous
Since James McAvoy became a star, he has been surprisingly blunt about his acting career. Most notably, McAvoy was very open about how awkward it was for him to kiss Angelina Jolie during the filming of the action movie Wanted.
Similarly, McAvoy has been extremely open about what he thinks about actors who want to be famous. In 2009, McAvoy remarked that movie stars who want to be famous are "not actors to [him]".
"There comes a point where, you just can’t watch an actor without… I just know so much about them. So how can I accept them in a role? There are just some people, they’re not actors to me. They’re chip paper. Just glossy paper."
McAvoy continued, “If I’m in a film, or a telly, or a play, then why should people come and see it? Because you know, they can just pick up some rubbish magazine, and see me in that.”
Despite McAvoy's desire to have moviegoers know him for his performances, he has revealed some facts about his personal life in the past. Most notably, McAvoy and Anne-Marie Duff released a statement announcing that they were getting divorced after roughly a decade of marriage in 2016.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we have come to the decision to divorce. We enter this next phase with continued friendship, love and respect for one another and the shared focus of caring for our son. We ask that you respect our and, most importantly, our child’s privacy during this time."
On another occasion in 2021, McAvoy spoke to Screen Rant about what he wants for his son. While McAvoy wanted to make sure he witnessed his son's birth, he also strongly believes in pushing Brendan McAvoy out of the nest.
"I think that sometimes we try and protect our kids from way too much, and we end up not preparing them for the world that they're going to have to step into. Which is why they're all staying with their parents until they're 35 at the moment. I want mine out the door when he's 18."
During that same interview, McAvoy spoke about what kind of father he is. "I'm a loving, cuddly parent, but I do think that we worry too much about what we're letting our kids hear."