James McAvoy has been in the entertainment industry since he was a teenager. When he made his debut as an actor in The Near Room in 1995, he was not much interested in becoming an actor. However, that changed soon and he ended up going to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. He graduated from the academy in 2000.
Since then, he has worked with numerous great directors such as Steven Spielberg and Matthew Vaughn. Long before he gained recognition with his roles in the X-Men film series and The Chronicles of Narnia, McAvoy appeared in the miniseries Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune. However, he refused to give any advice to Timothee Chalamet when his movie Dune was about to be released in 2021.
James McAvoy Refused to Give Advice to Timothee Chalamet
One has to be living under a rock if they don’t know about Denis Villeneuve’s Dune film series. It would not be too surprising if one does not know that there are lesser-known adaptations of Frank Herbert’s Dune novel series. Alejandro Jodorowsky’s failed attempt in the 1970s and David Lynch’s 1984 adaptation are some that people might be aware of.
However, another adaptation often goes overlooked. This was John Harrison’s 2000 miniseries for Syfy- Frank Herbert’s Dune, whose success culminated in the 2003 miniseries Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune. The latter of these saw James McAvoy in the role of Leto II Atreides, son of Paul Atreides and Chani.
When asked if he had any advice for Timothee Chalamet, who is playing Paul Atreides in Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of the epic sci-fi novel, McAvoy told /Film:
“I was in an adaptation of the second and third books. He is in the first book. And he’s playing a character who ultimately becomes my father, in terms of the character dialogue. So, no. I’ve got no advice for him. And he doesn’t need any advice from me, he’s a cracking actor.”
The Atonement star had a point since he did not play the role that Chalamet was playing. That being said, the Wonka star’s performance as the heir of the House of Atreides has been nothing short of spectacular.
James McAvoy Received Some Great Advice from Claudia Black
No matter how good someone is at what they do, it is always good to have someone with experience to give them some valuable advice. James McAvoy happened to be lucky in this respect as he had Farscape actress Claudia Black to give some advice.
Reflecting on Black’s advice, McAvoy told /Film:
“It was at the L.A. premiere of ‘Children of Dune,’ and she said to me, that the thing with this shit, i.e. science fiction, is that you have to believe it more than you believe good writing.”
The Last King of Scotland star went on to say that good writing is easier to do, but sci-fi is not that easy. He has kept that advice close to his heart and put it to use for the sci-fi and fantasy projects that he has done.
Frank Herbert’s Children of Dune is available for streaming on Hoopla. Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part I is available for streaming on Hulu and Dune: Part II is in theaters.
