McAvoy Bullied by 'Band of Brothers' Co-Star on First Day — SkimNews
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- James McAvoy recounted on 'Watch What Happens Live' that a 'Band of Brothers' co-star organized buddies to point and laugh at him for roughly three minutes on his first day as a professional actor, soon after graduating drama school in the early 2000s.
- McAvoy said the bullying was driven by resentment: he was booked for a single episode with a full arc and many lines, while other castmates had been on set for 9–10 months getting just one line per episode.
- Dexter Fletcher (who later directed 'Rocketman') and Robin Laing took McAvoy aside and invited him to hang with them, and McAvoy ultimately rated the overall set experience as 'a nine, but that day, it felt like a two.'
- 'Band of Brothers' aired in fall 2001, was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, won multiple Emmys including best miniseries plus a Peabody Award, and spawned the wartime TV franchise that continued with 'The Pacific' (2010) and 'Masters of the Air' (2024).
- McAvoy did not publicly name the co-star who bullied him, though the source notes that many of his 'Band of Brothers' castmates — including Colin Hanks, Damian Lewis, and Ron Livingston — went on to major careers.
- McAvoy's breakout came four years later with his role as Mr. Tumnus in 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,' launching the film career that made him a star.
Why it matters: The anecdote reframes one of HBO's most celebrated productions as a set where even a Spielberg-Hanks prestige gig had cliques and hazing moments for newcomers. McAvoy's choice not to name the co-star — while listing the many castmates who became major stars — keeps the story squarely on the culture of the set rather than on retribution, which is why he's comfortable telling it years later on a late-night show.
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