Current:Home > FinanceJames McAvoy's positively toxic 'Speak No Evil' villain was 'a tricky gift'-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
James McAvoy's positively toxic 'Speak No Evil' villain was 'a tricky gift'
View Date:2024-12-24 10:34:50
James McAvoy has a new love for The Bangles.
In the horror movie “Speak No Evil” (in theaters Friday), his character Paddy invites recent acquaintance Ben (Scoot McNairy) and his family for a getaway in the English countryside. And on a jaunt in the car, Paddy wails “Eternal Flame” with wide eyes and gusto, leaving his guest at a loss.
Seriously bad stuff happens after that, and still it doesn’t ruin that 1980s hit for McAvoy. “It has even more significance for me now, I loved doing that,” the Scottish actor says. “I have a friend who will look into my eyes and sing an entire song at my face, like up close as if I'm singing it back with them, as if we are sharing this incredible moment."
Join our Watch Party!Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox
In the remake of the 2022 Danish thriller of the same name, Ben (McNairy), wife Louise (Mackenzie Davis) and their daughter (Alix West Lefler) are on an Italian vacation when they meet the boldly gregarious and fun Paddy, his spouse Ciara (Aisling Franciosi) and son Ant (Dan Hough). They get along so well, Paddy says they should visit his place, but the vacation takes a turn – as does Paddy’s personality – as the mercurial host’s sinister reasons for bringing them there are revealed.
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
“You've got this good-guy couple who you would never want to be and you would never want to have their relationship. And then you've got this bad-guy couple and you're like, ‘I’d love to experience a relationship as passionate and as loving as that,’ ” McAvoy says. “You're playing with the audience's moral center (and) their affections on multiple levels. That was a gift but it was a tricky gift.”
McAvoy, 45, has played heroes on screen, most notably as young Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” movies. He’s done villains, too, like the 24 personalities of Kevin Wendell Crumb in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Split” and “Glass.” But the actor says playing Paddy was a tightrope between terrifying horror and friendly comedy.
“You had to stay in the middle as long as possible, for like an hour and 10 (minutes) almost, to make both things potentially possible at all times,” McAvoy says. “Everybody's here for seeing something scary happen. How much can you make the audience wait before actually delivering something horrific?”
In playing “good” Paddy, McAvoy looked at friends who are “quite positive examples of masculinity” as inspiration. On the other hand, he doesn’t think that many people are as toxic as Paddy can be.
“The thing that I think was most important about Patty was not his toxicity (and) not his nefarious intentions. Those things are just like bad guy traits,” McAvoy says. “We recognize that and it's almost boring. It's upsetting. It's something we have to live with because there are people out there like that. But I think we can understand it.”
What makes Paddy interesting, though, is that he loves what he's doing, McAvoy explains. “It sounds kind of glib, bad guy having a good time, but it's a guy doing bad things who's really trying to enjoy his life and that's actually quite admirable. Some good people – good citizens, good partners, good parents – are not capable of even trying to enjoy their lives.”
“Speak No Evil” changes some aspects of the original film, but there’s one key line that writer/director James Watkins kept: When Paddy is asked why he’s doing what he’s doing, he coolly responds, “Because you let me.”
For McAvoy, one of the key themes of the movie is social compliance and “the things that we as individuals, but also as a collective society, allow the institutions that control us to do to us,” he says. “Why do they do it to us? Because we let them. We don't go on strike. We don't vote Democrat when we voted Republican all our lives, we just vote Republican. We don't make political statements (and) we don't take stances when we see injustice and wrongdoing.
"What is that? Is that laziness? Is that politeness? And I think it's both those things in this film.”
veryGood! (794)
Related
- Chipotle unveils cilantro-scented soap, 'water' cup candles in humorous holiday gift line
- Belgium women's basketball guard Julie Allemand to miss 2024 Paris Olympics with injury
- Canadian Olympic Committee Removes CWNT Head Coach After Drone Spying Scandal
- Britney Spears Clarifies Post Criticizing Halsey's “Cruel” Sample of Lucky
- Eva Longoria Shares She and Her Family Have Moved Out of the United States
- 'Transformers One': Chris Hemsworth embraces nostalgia as Optimus Prime
- Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Charly Barby & Kelly Villares Have Emotional Reaction to Finally Making Team
- Get an Extra 60% off J.Crew Sale Styles, 50% Off Old Navy, 80% Off Old Navy, 70% Off Sam Edelman & More
- Homes of Chiefs’ quarterback Mahomes and tight end Kelce were broken into last month
- Senate kickstarts effort to protect kids online, curb content on violence, bullying and drug use
Ranking
- Kate Hudson and Goldie Hawn’s SKIMS Holiday Pajamas Are Selling Out Fast—Here’s What’s Still Available
- Warner Bros. Discovery sues NBA for not accepting its matching offer
- Story Behind Lady Deadpool's Casting in Ryan Reynolds' Deadpool & Wolverine Is a True Marvel
- Wreckage of schooner that sank in 1893 found in Lake Michigan
- 2 striking teacher unions in Massachusetts face growing fines for refusing to return to classroom
- Wandering wolf of the Southwest confined through 2025 breeding season in hopes of producing pups
- North Carolina Democrats sue to reverse decision that put RFK Jr. on ballots
- 7 additional Red Lobster restaurants have closed, bringing total to at least 106: See list
Recommendation
-
What to know about Mississippi Valley State football player Ryan Quinney, who died Friday
-
2024 Paris Olympics: France’s Rail Network Suffers “Malicious Attack Ahead of Opening Ceremony
-
Think Team USA has a lock on gold? Here's how LeBron & Co. could get beaten
-
Horoscopes Today, July 26, 2024
-
Martha Stewart playfully pushes Drew Barrymore away in touchy interview
-
Gymnast Levi Jung-Ruivivar Suffers Severe Allergic Reaction in Olympic Village
-
Former lawmaker sentenced to year in prison for role in kickback scheme
-
Sammy Hagar 'keeping alive' music of Van Halen in summer Best of All Worlds tour