James McAvoy has spoken about the bias that Scottish actors face in the film industry. James McAvoy said his accent has led him to be reduced in the minds of prospective collaborators. He also said that when it comes to filming anything Scottish on the big screen, it's unemployment, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, domestic abuse, all the abuse.
McAvoy has directed the new musical drama California Schemin'. California Schemin' is about two Dundee rappers pretending to be American to achieve success. It is based on the true story of Silibil N' Brains, a rap duo from Dundee who affected American accents and personas to be taken seriously in hip-hop.
In his personal experience, McAvoy said he has played four or five Scottish people in his entire 30-year career. James McAvoy acknowledged his own success and that others have suffered much worse from Hollywood bias.
McAvoy wants to tell stories about working-class people with backgrounds that he recognises and limited horizons. He also said there are maybe five actors in Scotland who could get projects greenlit, and not definitely if it's set in Scotland. James McAvoy cited Gerard Butler, Ewan McGregor, Karen Gillan, and Richard Madden as the actors who could get projects greenlit in Scotland. James McAvoy said those actors are all over 35 and only one of them is a woman.
Historically, Scottish cinema has often focused on gritty themes, with examples like Trainspotting and Shallow Grave. Trainspotting was released 20 years ago and starred Ewan McGregor and was directed by Danny Boyle. It follows a group of heroin addicts living in a run-down part of Edinburgh and explores urban poverty and drug addiction. Shallow Grave is a 1994 black comedy crime film directed by Danny Boyle, starring Ewan McGregor, about flatmates in Edinburgh who discover a dead tenant with a suitcase full of cash.
Additional Scottish film examples illustrate both stereotypes and diverse portrayals. Restless Natives is a 1985 Scottish adventure comedy about two youths from Edinburgh who become modern highwaymen. Rab C. Nesbitt aired from 1988 until 2014 and starred Gregor Fisher as an alcoholic Glaswegian who seeks unemployment as a lifestyle choice. Sweet Sixteen is a 2002 film starring Martin Compston as a teenager drawn into drug dealing in Greenock, Scotland. It remains unclear what specific measures or actions McAvoy is proposing to address the bias against Scottish actors in Hollywood, and how the film industry has officially responded to his criticisms about Scottish stereotypes is not known. The current box office performance or critical reception of California Schemin' has not been confirmed.