Actor James McAvoy is known for his time as Charles Xavier / Professor X in the X-Men films. The actor has also appeared in several other critically acclaimed films, including the 2006 historical drama The Last King of Scotland. Aside from his strong acting performances, McAvoy is also known for his extensive philanthropic work.
However, McAvoy once went to the scary lengths of jumping from a building to support his charity work. The actor later recounted the experience in an interview, walking fans through how it felt to dive from one of the tallest buildings in the world. Here is what McAvoy had to say and why it proves we don’t deserve him.
James McAvoy Took Part in a BASE Jump For a Noble Cause
James McAvoy played the role of Dr. Nicholas Garrigan in the 2006 film The Last King of Scotland. While working on the movie, McAvoy became involved with the charity Retrak, which assists children on the streets and helps them lead better lives.
McAvoy’s association with the organization led to him undertaking a daring publicity stunt to raise awareness about the cause. The X-Men actor performed a BASE jump from the roof of Guy’s Hospital in London. He later recounted the experience during an interview with Digital Spy. McAvoy said:
It’s just really a publicity stunt, to try to make people more aware of Retrak. And they made me jump off a building.
McAvoy added that he performed the jump from Guy’s Hospital, which has 34 floors, amounting to a 487-foot-tall structure. As a result, it is the tallest hospital building in the world.
So I went face-first down from the tallest hospital in the world.
McAvoy made the above statement, detailing his experience jumping off the building’s roof.
The actor admitted that he was terrified during the jump but also described it as fun. McAvoy admitted that the only reason he agreed to such a risky publicity stunt was because of the honorable cause attached to it. Therefore, seeing McAvoy undertake such a daring task for charity is truly commendable.
James McAvoy Passed Out While Filming The Last King of Scotland
McAvoy’s BASE jump wasn’t the only terrifying experience stemming from the actor’s time filming The Last King of Scotland. During an interview with Contact Music, McAvoy revealed that filming the movie’s graphic torture scene, where his character is hung from a meat hook, was particularly disturbing.
McAvoy revealed that his character refused to scream even though he had been tortured. As a result, the actor decided to hold his breath during the scene, which would leave no voice for him to vocalize the pain resulting from the torture.
When we did the first take I passed out completely.
McAvoy made the above remark about his experience of filming the demanding torture scene.
Moreover, the Speak No Evil actor noted that the scene was shot on the same day as the tragic London bombings of 2005. As a result, everyone was troubled, fearing for the safety of their loved ones. The hysteria from the bombings combined with his approach to the torture scene left McAvoy unconscious after the first take.
The Last King of Scotland is available to rent on Amazon Prime Video.
