James McAvoy Quotes

I'd rather say no and have said no and do say no often. I walk away from projects if it doesn't feel right; if it's not the right team of people pulling in together or if the script isn't right. It could be a great idea but the script doesn't work.

I don't want to do material that I don't like. I've always stuck to that policy. If that means being out of work for awhile, that's fine with me.

I get very picky. There's sort of a line you have to walk between working and doing something you actually want to be a part of, as opposed to just working for the work. That often puts you in a place where you have to choose whether or not you want to wait for good material to come along.

The only thing that we as actors really can control is to be able to say 'yes' or 'no' to the material.

It's never a script that makes me decide to accept a film or not.

I never turn down scripts without good reason. If I did, I would probably never work.

Every script has things that would draw me away or draw me towards it. But I just try and choose as wisely as possible - when I get to choose.

If I read a script and find it engaging and I start making choices in my mind on how to approach the work, than that's a good indication that it is something worth pursuing.

I know a lot of celebrities who are perfectly happy to put their name to something and then leave it at that because the money is good, but I need to have complete control over how something is going to look if my name is going to be attached to it.

People send me records, and if don't like them, I won't do them; I don't care how much money you offer.

I thank God I'm in a position where I can pick and choose - there are some roles I don't play.

Everyone wants to do only those films which they find interesting. That is the way the industry works.

I've seen such great material, and now I'm more picky with the type of jobs that I take because it's gotta be there. There's an old theater saying: 'If it's not on the page, it's not on the stage'... You gotta have some type of standards as far as the jobs that you take and the roles that you take on.

I will continue to work with newbies as long as the script and the director are good.

I will always choose to work in a movie based on whether I would want to watch it - if I would be willing to spend money in a theatre on it. The script and the people you will work with come after that.

I don't want to take anything that's coming in for the sake of work. I want to choose carefully, as I have done since leaving 'EastEnders.'

I only would say yes to a film, do a film or any project, if I think I would watch it. Whether the audience will like it, not like it, how will they take to the film, these are not things in your control and you shouldn't bother about them.

It so depends on each script, because you can say... I always thought I wouldn't have wanted to do something that was kind of like as big and commercial as 'The Dark is Rising,' but I really liked the script. I thought it was really clever.

If the script grabs me and appeals to me, I'm really very keen to work on it.

I don't like to just grab any ol' role.

I believe in Danny Boyle. I really do. I know that he's not going to pull the trigger on something if it's not right.

I am completely open to doing a romantic comedy, but I will never do something just for the sake of doing a specific genre or because it's the time or place to do a different type of movie. I think that would be a huge mistake.

I know straight away if there are roles I don't want to do, and I have a lot of arguments with my agents about those.

I have tried to make decisions to work with great directors, with good scripts, and that makes the pickings real slim.

Great directors turn in mediocre work, and first-time directors turn in exceptional work. No matter how good a person can talk about what he wants, you never know. You just have to go with a good story and a script that you like and people that you like to work with.