James McAvoy was reportedly attacked in a Toronto bar on Monday while attending the Toronto International Film Festival to screen his directorial debut, “California Schemin’.”
According to a report by People, McAvoy was at Charlotte’s Room in Toronto on Monday when a man hit him just before midnight. The “Split” star allegedly tried to calm the aggressor down before others came to remove him from the bar.
An individual close to McAvoy told People, “James was having a casual get-together with the producers of his movie and, as he later learned when speaking with the staff, there was a man who drank too much who was getting escorted out. James’ back was to him and the man just punched him.”
The unnamed source added that McAvoy was fine after the alleged punch and that he stayed at the bar to laugh off the incident.
“California Schemin’” is inspired by the real-life story of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, two aspiring rappers from Dundee, Scotland. When they are turned away by the London music industry in the early aughts because of their accents, they rebrand themselves as Silibil N’ Brains, a bad-boy rap duo from the U.S. West Coast.
Before the film’s TIFF premiere, McAvoy shared his admiration for Bain and Boyd with Variety, comparing them to “folk heroes” like “Robin Hood.”
“Nobody cares that they got caught,” McAvoy said. “Nobody cares that they never made it. We just love that they fucking went down there and played the system. When the system’s rigged against you, try to undermine it or circumvent it. Game the game!”
