Although there’s no shortage of toxic masculinity in today’s world, James McAvoy crafted his latest role around a very specific person.
The Speak No Evil star revealed that his sinister patriarch character Paddy from James Watkins upcoming Universal remake of the 2022 Danish thriller, which premieres in theaters on Sept. 13, was inspired by Andrew Tate.
“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 explained to 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.’”
The 2022 satirical thriller, directed by Christian Tafdrup, follows a Danish family on vacation to Tuscany, where they quickly bond with a Dutch family. Months later, they accept an invitation to visit their new friends in the Netherlands, but the stay quickly becomes uncomfortable.
James McAvoy in Speak No Evil
Universal Pictures via YouTube
Watkins’ remake stars Mackenzie Davis and Scoot McNairy (reuniting a decade after Halt and Catch Fire premiered on AMC) as an American couple who spends a terrifying weekend with their daughter (Alix West Lefler) at the idyllic country estate of a British family, played by McAvoy, Aisling Franciosi and Dan Hough.
“You wanted something a bit agricultural,” explained 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.”
Although he had to put on muscle to be physically intimidating in the role, McAvoy added a bit of a softer demeanor to the performance.
“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.’”