What's Inside?
- James McAvoy sucker-punched by intoxicated man at Toronto bar during Toronto International Film Festival week.
- Actor calmly de-escalated bar altercation and laughed off incident while celebrating his directorial debut 'California Schemin’'.
- 'California Schemin’' tells true story of Scottish rap duo Silibil N’ Brains, marking McAvoy’s bold first step as director.
James McAvoy’s Toronto visit for his directorial debut took an unexpected turn when a casual night out ended in chaos. On Monday, September 8, the Scottish actor was sucker-punched by a stranger at Charlotte’s Room, a Toronto bar, just days after premiering his first film California Schemin’ at the Toronto International Film Festival. The incident unfolded close to midnight, leaving patrons stunned, but McAvoy handled it with remarkable composure.
James McAvoy Punched at Toronto Bar During Casual Night Out
According to multiple reports, James McAvoy, 46, was enjoying a quiet evening with the producers of California Schemin’ when an intoxicated patron disrupted the scene. Eyewitnesses revealed the actor’s back was turned when the man, who was being escorted out by staff, suddenly struck him.
A source close to McAvoy told PEOPLE, “James was having a casual get-together with the producers of his movie and, as he later learned 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.”
Despite being blindsided, McAvoy remained calm. The X-Men star attempted to de-escalate the situation while others intervened to remove the man. Remarkably, he chose to stay at the bar, even laughing off the altercation with patrons and staff. Reports confirm he was not injured and did not let the incident overshadow his night.
This wasn’t the first time McAvoy had been in the public eye that week. Just two nights earlier, he and his wife, Lisa Liberati, attended the world premiere of California Schemin’, his passion project and first directorial effort.
California Schemin’: James McAvoy’s Bold Directorial Debut at TIFF
While the shocking punch grabbed headlines, the bigger story for James McAvoy in Toronto is his film California Schemin’. The movie tells the true story of Silibil N’ Brains, a Scottish rap duo who pretended to be American to break into the music industry. Based on Gavin Bain’s 2011 memoir, Straight Outta Scotland: A True Story of Fakery, Money and Betrayal in the Music Industry, the film stars Séamus McLean Ross, Samuel Bottomley, Lucy Halliday, and Rebekah Murrell.
McAvoy not only directed but also took on a small acting role. Speaking to People during TIFF, he described the experience as both challenging and rewarding. “I’ve loved telling stories as an actor for 30 years,” McAvoy said.
“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.”
Calling the process “stressful” yet “amazing,” McAvoy reflected on how his three decades of acting informed his directing style. He emphasized creating space for authenticity, saying, “Yeah, they’re playing a character, but really what I want is them — bare, open, vulnerable as a performer and as a person so the audience can see inside them.”
For McAvoy, choosing California Schemin’ as his debut was deeply personal. He explained, “I realized I needed to tell a story about a hometown that felt like my hometown, an economic background that felt similar to mine. People who had a lack of opportunities like the people in my neighborhood had, who had very confined, close horizons that you couldn’t physically get out of. But art can get you beyond them.”
