Since ‘Trance’ and ‘Welcome to the Punch’ have come out, and with the promise of ‘Filth’, I’ve seen quite a few posts saying things like “Oh, he was so nice! What happened?” or “Come back to romances, James! This is where you belong!”

Which is bullshit, in my opinion.

I like him in romances, too, but do you honestly think he’s challenged by those? Think about guys who made their names in romantic comedies or historical romances….how many have broken out of those roles? There are a notable few, but overall, 90% of those actors (and I use the term for both male and female) get stuck in the miasma of ‘date movies’ or ‘chick flicks’ and never get out.

James McAvoy is a BRILLIANT actor and deserves a chance to shine in portrayals of meatier, more difficult characters. He’s done it plenty, even with his looks and his real-world congeniality. 

Remember these guys?

All three of these characters were morally ambiguous, at best. Hell, even his character in Penelope could be considered borderline at the start of the film. He’s gotten some of the best reviews of his career for these three men here but somehow it’s still all about how ‘nice’ he is in his films, that somehow Danny Boyle and Irvine Welsh have turned him EVIL, or something.

It makes no sense to me.