MCAVOY SAYS BAND OF BROTHERS CO-STAR MOCKED HIM ON SET

James McAvoy has said he was mocked by a co-star during his first day filming the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, his first job after leaving acting school. Speaking on the chat show Watch What Happens Live, he recalled being shown a cast photograph and said one of the actors pictured had organised a group to stand and point at him, laughing for around three minutes. McAvoy said he would not name the actor responsible, but confirmed it was not David Schwimmer, who does not appear in the photograph shown. He said Dexter Fletcher and Robin Laing told him to come and join them after the incident.

McAvoy explained that other cast members had been filming the series for close to a year before he arrived for his episode, each receiving only brief screen time spread across instalments. He said he came in for a single episode but was given a substantial storyline and a large number of lines, which he suggested caused resentment among actors who had been on set far longer. The scene in question, he said, involved a large ensemble cast gathered in a bar setting. The photograph discussed on the show pictured McAvoy alongside Donnie Wahlberg, Kirk Acevedo, Scott Grimes, Philip Barantini, Neal McDonough, Adam James, Frank John Hughes and Ross McCall.

None of the actors pictured has publicly responded to McAvoy's account. A news outlet reporting on the remarks said it had contacted the stars named for comment. No further details on the identity of the actor McAvoy described have been made public.