James McAvoy points to a cast photo from HBO’s Band of Brothers, recalling how one famous co-star allegedly bullied him
Hard lessons.
James McAvoy recently shared a tough memory from his early days on the set of the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. He pointed to a cast photo from the show during an appearance on the Monday, October 12, 2026, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. The Scottish actor, 47, recalled how one famous co-star allegedly bullied him during his very first day as a professional actor. It is clear that this moment left a lasting impression on him.
According to Us Weekly, McAvoy said he had just come out of acting school when he booked the one-episode role. He played Private First Class James W. Miller in the fourth episode titled Replacements. The production was a massive project created by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. It follows the story of a regiment of American troops during World War II.
Many actors had been working on the show for nine or 10 months at that point, McAvoy said. Some of them only received one line in an episode and another line much later in the series. McAvoy arrived on set and immediately received significant screen time. He says he had an arc, several scenes, and a large number of lines. This created a situation where some veteran cast members felt frustrated.
McAvoy explained the dynamic during his chat with Andy Cohen
The X-Men star said one of the actors pictured in the promotional photo decided to target him. “So, one of the guys in that picture decided to bully me — on my first day as a professional actor out of acting school. He got his buddies to just stand pointing at me and laugh at me for, like, three minutes,” he recounted.
McAvoy chose not to reveal the identity of the person involved. He did confirm that it was not David Schwimmer because Schwimmer was not in that specific photograph. It was telling that the actor kept the name to himself while clearly remembering the hurt. He did add that despite the harsh welcome, he found support from other colleagues on set.
Dexter Fletcher and Robin Laing noticed what was happening and stepped in to help. McAvoy recalled that they took him aside to offer kindness. They told him, “Come hang with us, man.” This gesture clearly meant a lot to him at such a vulnerable moment in his career. He rated his first day as a two out of 10, but he considered the overall experience on the series a nine.
This was not the only time McAvoy faced a difficult situation on a professional set
He also spoke about a health scare during his time working on the 2019 film Glass. He was on the set of the Split sequel when doctors discovered a shadow in his lung.
“I had a lung puncture because they saw a shadow in my lung, so they wanted to biopsy it to see if it was cancer, which it wasn’t, which was great,” McAvoy said. He added, “But that was botched, and I nearly died. I was at home two days later, my lungs just collapsed in bed one night, and I was on my own as well, so it was crazy.”
His career has certainly been filled with both high and low points. Since his early stint on Band of Brothers, he has achieved immense success in the industry. He has starred in major films like The Last King of Scotland, Atonement, and Wanted. Fans also know him well for his role as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film series.
He reflected on other early career highlights
McAvoy’s film debut happened in 1995 with The Near Room. Reality Tea says he described that experience as amazing even though he felt terrified at the time. McAvoy told Cohen he also enjoyed his time filming The Chronicles of Narnia, saying he spent months in New Zealand for that project and found the process quite enjoyable.
It is interesting to see how these experiences shaped his perspective on the industry. Band of Brothers remains a landmark series that won both the Emmy and Golden Globe awards for Best Miniseries in 2002. Damian Lewis earned a nomination for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film that same year. Ron Livingston also received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
McAvoy has clearly navigated a complex path since his first day on that set. It is a reminder that even the most successful actors start with challenging experiences. He remains a prominent figure in modern cinema today.
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