James McAvoy Quotes

I've never thought that what I do as an actor does anything for anybody, other than making them laugh once in a while.

There's a power in what we hold as artists, and part of that comes with responsibility... to share the human experience and really allow that to be seen.

My pride at being a member of the theater community is deep, and we have a chance to reach a lot of people who might feel like there's a place for them. I want theater to be part of the cultural conversation and be on par with all mediums of television in its ability to be relevant.

I've been trying to make a difference as an actor. I want to play characters that move people, have them look at their lives differently, or give them an escape.

More than an actor, I am a performer... I'm a great believer - honestly so, shamelessly so, vulgarly so - that cinema is for entertainment. If you want to send messages, there's the postal service.

I'm not curing cancer. I'm not saving lives. It's my job. I'm an actor. It's a good, fun job. People enjoy it, but there are many other people who are doing so many things that are more worthwhile. I just don't see anything that special about it. I see it as entertaining.

I don't pretend to be anything but an actor and a writer.

I am not interested in entertaining people. I think being an actor provides an opportunity to give people an experience they can connect to, reflect on, learn from, laugh at.

The greatest artists know how to entertain, or else nobody would read them.

Whether you think a film will affect society or it's plain entertainment, it's all excellent, it's all noble.

As actors, we are so privileged to do what we do and to give to the world and to choose the subject we want to say to the world.

I don't find acting to be a particularly noble way to make a living. I'm not saving anybody's life, I'm not a teacher, I'm not working for UNICEF. I don't think I'm some big deal.

In Africa, music is for everything, Music was originally used for community. That was what music was for.

Whether you do a play in front of 100 people or a movie that one billion people see, you're still affecting people.

I'm not going to say, I'm an actor and I'm changing the world. Who cares?

I'm always interested in looking - historically - at how theater can animate history and how all of that can make us engage with our lives in an enriching way.

Let's not get too precious about it: actors are not heart surgeons or brain surgeons. We are just entertaining people.

I really do believe that was what I was put on this planet to do: to give to people and, through my performances, show them another world - in the case of '24,' to show them what a politician, black or white, should be. Basically, I wanted to be a service to others.

I love mythology and folklore, and I respect the time, money, and opportunity that a film gives to an audience. It's a chance to empathize, reflect, and learn, so I really want to understand before I sign onto a project: 'What's the potential of this thing? What are we seeing and learning? What are we empathizing to?'

All I wanted to do was create theater for us, for our generation, for the people of this planet. And it's so rare that the art that you are making is reaching a huge mass of people.

The job of an artist is to entertain and not get involved with politics. We give the people in the countries we are visiting a good show - that's the purpose of an entertainer.

I think Hollywood is an incredible tool to teach people. It brings stories and information to the television screen, to the movie theater screens, that people get to empathize with.

Musicals aren't two-dimensional froth.

I feel these shows allow you to be yourself, this is why I like to be part of them. Also, reality shows have a much bigger reach and provide a bigger platform for an actor.

Every reality show plot pales in comparison to our history.