HOLLYWOOD star James McAvoy has said he is “extremely honoured” to be recognised for his outstanding contribution to cinema by his home city.
The Scottish actor was presented with the Cinema City Honorary Award by the Glasgow Film Festival (GFF) on Sunday while appearing at an In Conversation event.
In a career spanning film, TV and stage productions, McAvoy is known most notably for his roles in Shameless, Filth, The Last King of Scotland, the X-Men franchise, Atonement and Split.
Upon receiving the award, he said: “I’m extremely honoured to receive this from the Glasgow Film Festival.
“I am a son of Glasgow, I’ve been away for a long time and I’m really, really glad to be here.”
The 45-year-old is currently working on his directorial debut with California Schemin’, which tells the tale of two Scottish rappers who pretended to be an American rap duo to secure a record deal.
The film – shot in Glasgow – is based on the story of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, from Dundee, who reinvented themselves as Californian rappers Silibil N Brains.
Speaking on the red carpet before the event, McAvoy said: “I don’t think I could have made this film anywhere else – Glasgow gave us so, so much.
“You’ll see it in the film when you watch the scene in the Barrowlands, that should have cost us hundreds of thousands of pounds, and Glasgow turned out in their thousands and gave us the energy you can’t replicate.
“Honestly, I count my lucky stars.”
McAvoy confirmed California Schemin’ is expected to be in post-production until August, with a release next year.
The actor – who grew up in the Drumchapel area of Glasgow – said that coming from a council estate, he wanted to tell stories about people from similar backgrounds while also creating something entertaining.
He said: “I was interested in telling a story, not just solely set in Scotland, but about people who come from backgrounds where they have less opportunities, whether that’s council estates or whatever it is, but at the same time, telling a story that was entertaining and aspirational, and not just living in the grime and the dirt, which is part of that sort of lower economic background, definitely.
“But it’s not all it is, and sometimes it is all it is on film. And I come from a council estate in Glasgow, I wanted to tell stories about people from that kind of place but also entertain. And this story definitely gives the opportunity to do that.”
