“The thing I thought I could exploit in the character was, he thinks he’s a bit of a f— West Country Andrew Tate,” he told Empire. “He’s like, ‘I’m going to teach you what it’s like to be a man again.’ But there’s a sort of polite face on it that isn’t quite Andrew Tate, enough of a sheen of, ‘I’m not one of those guys,’” added McAvoy. “[Paddy’s] challenging you, ‘Do you have a big enough d*** to have a drink with me?’, Or, ‘I’m sorry, this is too much for you because you’re not real enough.’”
Christian Tafdrup’s horror thriller, “Speak No Evil” from 2022 centres on a Danish family visiting Tuscany, where they immediately become close to a Dutch family. They embrace the offer to visit their close new acquaintances in the Netherlands, but their stay soon turns uncomfortable.
The Watkins remake features Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as an American pair who spend a frightening weekend with their daughter (Alix West Lefler) at the serene country property of a British family, performed by McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, and Dan Hough.
“You wanted something a bit agricultural,” elaborated McAvoy. “I had two big visual touchstones. The first was the Australian term ‘bogan’, which can be associated with a certain level of toxic masculinity. And the other was the character Rooster from Jerusalem, played so brilliantly by Mark Rylance.”
McAvoy brought some softness to the portrayal even though he had to bulk up to be physically scary in the part. “Even though he’s all masculine and throwing his d— around, he’s just a bit softer,” said McAvoy. “Almost a Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast vibe: ‘I don’t mind if my belly’s sticking out, because that’s how comfortable a man I f****** am.’”
Even if toxic masculinity is pervasive in today’s society, James McAvoy focused his most recent portrayal on a very particular character who is the king of unhealthy masculinity. The Speak No Evil actor disclosed that Andrew Tate served as inspiration for his menacing paternal figure, Paddy, in James Watkins’ forthcoming Universal version of the 2022 Danish thriller, which opens in theatres on September 13.
“The thing I thought I could exploit in the character was, he thinks he’s a bit of a f— West Country Andrew Tate,” he told Empire. “He’s like, ‘I’m going to teach you what it’s like to be a man again.’ But there’s a sort of polite face on it that isn’t quite Andrew Tate, enough of a sheen of, ‘I’m not one of those guys,’” added McAvoy. “[Paddy’s] challenging you, ‘Do you have a big enough d*** to have a drink with me?’, Or, ‘I’m sorry, this is too much for you because you’re not real enough.’”
Christian Tafdrup’s horror thriller, “Speak No Evil” from 2022 centres on a Danish family visiting Tuscany, where they immediately become close to a Dutch family. They embrace the offer to visit their close new acquaintances in the Netherlands, but their stay soon turns uncomfortable.
The Watkins remake features Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy as an American pair who spend a frightening weekend with their daughter (Alix West Lefler) at the serene country property of a British family, performed by McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi, and Dan Hough.
“You wanted something a bit agricultural,” elaborated McAvoy. “I had two big visual touchstones. The first was the Australian term ‘bogan’, which can be associated with a certain level of toxic masculinity. And the other was the character Rooster from Jerusalem, played so brilliantly by Mark Rylance.”
McAvoy brought some softness to the portrayal even though he had to bulk up to be physically scary in the part. “Even though he’s all masculine and throwing his d— around, he’s just a bit softer,” said McAvoy. “Almost a Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast vibe: ‘I don’t mind if my belly’s sticking out, because that’s how comfortable a man I f****** am.’”