The Toronto International Film Festival has already provided the fans with some interesting movies and moments this year, but an unfortunate incident has suddenly become the talk of the town. Actor James McAvoy, who went to the city of Toronto to oversee the screening of his directorial debut, California Schemin’, was attacked by a drunk man at a bar called Charlotte’s Room. While the event shocked people in attendance, the actor reportedly shrugged off the whole thing minutes later.
According to a report by People, the actor attended the premiere of his film on September 6, along with his wife, Lisa Liberati. A source close to the actor gave some details about the incident that occurred around 11:55 pm and said, “James was having a casual get-together with the producers of his movie, and, as he later learnt when speaking with the staff, there was a man who drank too much who was getting escorted out. James’ back was to him, and the man just punched him.” Apparently after the incident took place, McAvoy didn’t leave and laughed at the whole episode with other patrons and the staff.
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His directorial debut is actually a biographical movie about a group of Scottish musicians who pretend to be American in order to make it big in the hip-hop scene. The story is based on the real-life tale of hip-hop duo Silibil N’Brains, starring Samuel Bottomley and Seamus McLean Ross. The rest of the cast includes James Corden, Amber Anderson, and David Witts. In an interview with People, James talked about the experience of being a director, and the actor admitted that it was a daunting task indeed, and he hoped that his crew and cast thought of him as a nurturing director.
He said, “It’s the most creative thing I’ve ever done. I’ve loved telling stories as an actor for 30 years. It’s an extension of that. I now love telling stories as a director because I get more tools with which to tell those stories. It was a privilege. Look, I probably fell into all the same traps as every director that I’ve gone to, like, ‘Dude, what are you doing? Just direct me right.’ There is no ‘right’. I thought I would have a shorthand with actors after 30 years, and I did to an extent.”
