Directing Has Been On James McAvoy's Mind For 30 Years Before California Schemin'

James McAvoy's directorial debut, California Schemin', is now playing in theaters across the U.S. a year after its Toronto Film Festival premiere. Based on a true story of aspiring Scottish rappers, the movie blends coming-of-age tropes with music biopic ones and offers a fun and unique tale of friendship.

California Schemin' follows the origins of Silibil N' Brains, a music duo made up of Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd (played by Séamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomle). After being rejected due to their Scottish accents, the two of them decide to pretend they're from California instead, setting off a chain of events that will live in infamy. Their chief confidant in the scheme is Billy's girlfriend, Mary (The Testaments' Lucy Halliday), but the influx of fame and pressure of secrets affects their relationship with her and with one another.

ScreenRant interviewed McAvoy about his experience on California Schemin', his approach to directing, and how his debut changed his perspective on the process. The fledgling filmmaker also praised his young cast, discussing the importance of chemistry to the story's central narrative.

James McAvoy Reflects On His Directorial Debut

ScreenRant: You obviously have a long and storied acting repertoire. At what point did you realize you wanted to try out directing, and what sparked your interest?

James McAvoy: I think when I was 16, on my very first job. I hadn't done any acting class or any youth theater, but I found myself on a film set, being an actor. It was weird, but I do remember that week and a half that I was working. I was like, "It's interesting. He's putting the camera there. I would put it over there. But what the hell do I know?"

I was clearly thinking about it from then. I would have done it earlier, I think, but I've been really lucky. I've had a really good career as an actor, and I've really enjoyed it. I think maybe if it had been less fruitful, I would have jumped sooner. I probably should have jumped sooner, anyway.

Screen Rant: When we spoke at TIFF for Faith, you mentioned how editing - or acting for the edit - was one of your biggest takeaways from California Schemin’. What was the most challenging aspect of directing when you were first stepping up to the plate?

James McAvoy: I guess I thought I would have some secret code with actors, like I could be an actor whisperer. I started to direct them just how I would like to be directed, then I'd say, "Action." And then they'd do it just the same as they did it before. I was like, "No, this is not working," and I realized I was just talking too much. I was saying too much, and really, the work we'd done in rehearsals - because I had them for three weeks, which is quite rare - had already gotten them to where they needed to be.

I needed the most concise way to put it to them without them feeling like they were being told how to play it. Because as soon as somebody tells you how to play it, you can do it - and if you're really technically gifted, you can make it look real as anything - but it's never coming from you. What I want on camera is something authentic and true that's coming from them, and that could only come from them. How can they give that when I'm telling them what to do? So, it was about getting them to do what I want them to do without telling them how to do it.

The Charm Of California Schemin' Lies In Its Cast

Screen Rant: Speaking of the actors, Samuel and Seamus are so much fun together, and Lucy is a great grounding force for the trio. What was that casting process like? Because they're all pretty early in their careers as well.

James McAvoy: Sadly, there's not a ton of movies getting made in Scotland, so when you're looking at young actors, not everybody's got that much experience. If I were making this movie about two Americans, I'd have somebody who'd made 50 movies by the time they're 22. That was quite an extensive casting process, and it was pretty clear to me that one of the most exciting things about this movie would be the chemistry between the two characters.

I could get the two best actors, but if I didn't have the best chemistry, I didn't want them. Luckily, I think Sam and Seamus probably were the two best candidates, and they also created like incredible chemistry that was so exciting because without that, what are you rooting for? What are the stakes in the movie? The stakes of the movie aren't, "Will they going to get caught? Are they going to get away with it?" I don't really think that matters. The stakes of the movie are, "Is this relationship going to survive? Is Gavin's mental health going to survive? Is the relationship with Mary going to survive?" Relationships are the stakes.

Screen Rant: While relationships are the heart of the film, obviously a lot of it is told through their musical career. Did you have any special tricks that you found, or any unique approach you took to directing the rapping scenes?

James McAvoy: Yeah! I think all but one of the performance moments had nothing in them in terms of story. It was just like, "They get up on stage and perform." I was starting to think we were going to cut a lot. These are maybe two-minute music performances, and we're just going to end up cutting out after 30 seconds. Because as soon as the audience goes, "Wow, they're really talented. This is great," then you're in movie land. So, what next? What happens?

We had to go through all the numbers and actually build narrative into the numbers. Not the lyrics of the songs, the actual narrative. There's one where they manage to get on stage and perform their song "Tongue Kung Fu." The whole idea is them sneaking on and replacing the band that was meant to be there. That's a little bit true of what they did, but I kind of blew it up a lot more. The bouncer coming to get them, but the crowd turning against him - we just invented all that to give the numbers some narrative of their own. Otherwise, you'd just be cutting out after 30 seconds.

ScreenRant: You're actually in the movie as well. How much more fun or difficult did that make your experience?

James McAvoy: I did not enjoy having to act in a movie while directing. My hat goes off to all those guys who direct themselves in big, huge epics, like Bradley Cooper and all the films that he makes. I cannot imagine playing a lead role in something I directed myself.

I think it would drive me bonkers because all I want to do when they say action is to be relaxed so that something can happen that feels real and still tells a story. I'm not trying to make it happen, but you've got so many things to worry about and stress about as a director that I found it hard to be relaxed when my first AD said action. One of my biggest strengths is that I can just be a blank slate when they say action and stuff happens. That felt different this time.

ScreenRant: It took a minute to go from the first festival circuit run to having this wide release in the U.S. I know you already released in the U.K., but how has it felt to carry this movie so long after having finished it?

James McAvoy: It's interesting. As an actor, you do your bit, you show up at the premiere, and then it's kind of done. As a director, you live with the film for years after it's finished. I made this film over two years ago, but I'm still going to film festivals and selling this film to distribution companies and foreign countries and all that. And here I am, two years after I made it, a year after it came out in Britain, selling it in North America because it's getting a really nice theatrical release.

You can't overstate how wild it is for any filmmaker to get something in a theater these days. It's just such a privilege. But also, when's the last time you saw a low-budget independent Scottish feature in a movie theater in America? This is really unique, and hats off to Magenta for believing in us.