Current:Home > MarketsJames McAvoy's positively toxic 'Speak No Evil' villain was 'a tricky gift' -Balance Wealth Academy
James McAvoy's positively toxic 'Speak No Evil' villain was 'a tricky gift'
View
Date:2025-04-27 15:45:15
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! (85429)
Related
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- The burial site of the people Andrew Jackson enslaved was lost. The Hermitage says it is found
- Taxpayers could get $500 'inflation refund' checks under New York proposal: What to know
- The Sundance Film Festival unveils its lineup including Jennifer Lopez, Questlove and more
- Romantasy reigns on spicy BookTok: Recommendations from the internet’s favorite genre
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Our 12 favorites moments of 2024
- Drew Barrymore Addresses Criticism Over Her Touchiness With Talk Show Guests
- Friday the 13th luck? 13 past Mega Millions jackpot wins in December. See top 10 lottery prizes
- SCDF aids police in gaining entry to cluttered Bedok flat, discovers 73
Ranking
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Taylor Swift makes history as most decorated artist at Billboard Music Awards
- New Jersey, home to many oil and gas producers, eyes fees to fight climate change
- Luigi Mangione's Lawyer Speaks Out in UnitedHealthcare CEO Murder Case
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Beyoncé will perform halftime during NFL Christmas Day Game: Here's what to know
- 'Maria' review: Angelina Jolie sings but Maria Callas biopic doesn't soar
- I loved to hate pop music, until Chappell Roan dragged me back
Recommendation
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
Wisconsin kayaker who faked his death and fled to Eastern Europe is in custody, online records show
East Coast storm makes a mess at ski resorts as strong winds cause power outages
Amazon's Thank My Driver feature returns: How to give a free $5 tip after delivery
Why members of two of EPA's influential science advisory committees were let go
The burial site of the people Andrew Jackson enslaved was lost. The Hermitage says it is found
'The Voice' Season 26 finale: Coach Michael Bublé scores victory with Sofronio Vasquez
Stock market today: Asian shares advance, tracking rally on Wall Street