Actor James McAvoy has been notoriously tight-lipped when asked about his family. The actor, 29, has garnered a lot of attention lately for his starring role alongside Keira Knightley in “Atonement,” for which he won a BAFTA. He’s also gotten a lot of press for his low-key lifestyle - he and his wife, actress Anne-Marie Duff, 38, live in an apartment they bought several years ago for 178,000 (about $346,000 USD), share a ten-year-old Nissan Micra that’s worth less than $2,000, and admit to rarely leaving their apartment. James has actually said that he purposely tries to avoid “celebrity bullshit,” and I can think of few actors who’ve stuck to an ideal so thoroughly. Even Matthew McConaughey eventually gave up his Airstream trailer – but McAvoy has adamantly stuck to his beliefs. The Daily Mail has written a surprisingly thorough article on McAvoy, in which they hypothesize that the reason he lives such a low-key existence is that he doesn’t want to draw a lot of attention to his family.

After McAvoy won his BAFTA, he thanked his mother, grandparents (who raised him), and wife, yet made no mention of his father or half-brother. It turns out that James has not spoken to his dad, James McAvoy Sr, in 21 years. His parents divorced when he was seven, and his father, who works as a roofer - claims that that eight-year-old James pulled away from him after he started seeing another woman.

“Our son took it hard,” says McAvoy Snr. “He just wasn’t the carefree little boy he’d been before.” At first, father and son continued their relationship, with James Snr taking his son swimming or to watch Celtic football team. But when a year later James Snr moved in with a new lover, Mary McKinnon, the eight-year-old McAvoy refused to have anything to do with his father.

“I think James still had hopes of me and his mum sorting things out,” claims McAvoy Snr. “He started refusing to see me because he didn’t like Mary. In the end I took a step back rather than upset him.”

The young McAvoy demonstrated his steely nature when a few years later he was larking around in the playground of the St Thomas Aquinas secondary school in Drumchapel and spotted his father working on the school roof. “James just looked away without saying a word,” recalls his father sadly.

[From the Daily Mail]

That appears to be their last encounter. James has a half-brother named Donald from his father’s relationship with the aforementioned woman. Donald was recently sent to jail after stabbing a man eight times.

To understand the extent of his transformation, perhaps we should look at McAvoy’s 18-year-old half-brother Donald, currently languishing in Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution near Falkirk. Donald - James Snr’s son from his now-ended relationship with his lover Mary - has never met James the actor.

But no one could blame the star for distancing himself from his violent, alcoholic brother. Just a fortnight ago, Donald was sent to Polmont for stabbing a man eight times and, in a separate incident, threatening a 14-year-old with a hammer.

James Snr, who lives in a dingy first-floor flat, sighs: “I am standing by one son who’s a maniac, but can’t stand by my other son, who has done so well.” According to Mr McAvoy, Donald’s problem stems from his penchant for alcohol: “He’s a polite boy who doesn’t cause trouble until he has been drinking.”

[From the Daily Mail]

It sounds like James McAvoy (Jr) isn’t so much distancing himself from the unsavory side of his family - he simply has no relationship with them and never has. He’s not under some obligation to acknowledge them now that he’s doing well. They haven’t been a part of each other’s lives for a long time – and in the case of his half-brother, they’ve never even met. James himself has admitted to struggling with alcohol, and credits his wife with helping him straighten out his life, noting in his BAFTA acceptance speech, “she taught me to respect life.” Having no relationship with his father is sad, but his dad doesn’t say anything that implies he tried to reconnect with his son before he was famous – he even said he “took a step back” from their relationship rather than upset James, which makes no sense to me. McAvoy clearly has a lot of talent and a great head on his shoulders, and has made a lot of his life already. His family history is sad, but it explains why he doesn’t want to talk about them and has insisted on moving forward.

Here’s James McAvoy at the 2008 Wonder Con in San Francisco on February 22nd. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Reese Witherspoon, Christina Ricci, James McAvoy and Amanda Bynes were among the stars at last night’s premiere of Penelope, a modern romantic fairy tale about a girl born with the nose of a pig. Christina Ricci stars as Penelope, with Witherspoon as her rough ‘n tumble sidekick friend. Witherspoon also produced the film. James McAvoy is the love interest who is able to look past the physical imperfections to the girl underneath. The film is getting mixed reviews, with some saying that it’s not cohesive. Many other reviewers call it charming and quirky.

Some commentors on Oh No They Didn’t note that the film has been out for some time, as it premiered at film festivals including Toronto in 2006 and Cannes in 2007. That doesn’t mean that it won’t be a commercial success, though, as it seems to be the type of cute film that movie-goers enjoy. I had high hopes for a box office success for Sweeney Todd over the holidays, but it only took in $52 million domestically. That’s nothing to scoff at, but it isn’t that high either, and the film may have suffered from its dark subject matter as well as the fact that it was a musical. Penelope seems to have broader appeal, and we’ll have to see how it does at the box office.

Penelope is out in US theaters on January 29.

It’s cute how Reese and Christina both have the same hairstyle with bangs and pulled back hair. Reese’s outfit is looking a little too casual for a premiere but maybe she didn’t want to upstage Christina Ricci. Rachel Taylor is also shown, and she’s wearing a very odd sack-like dress. Thanks to PRPhotos for these pictures.

I love stories of humble, down-to-earth actors. The opposite of the MTV Cribs sort. Actor James McAvoy appears to be just this sort. The actor, who is currently starring with Keira Knightley in “Atonement” lives a life that isn’t just down to earth, it’s downright humble. According to the Daily Mail, McAvoy and his wife, actress Anne-Marie Duff, live in a small apartment Duff bought for £178,000 (about $346,000 USD) before they were married. It’s in the untrendy Stroud Green area of North London. They also drive a 10-year-old Nissan Micra that’s worth less than $2000. McAvoy could be the worst actor in the world and I swear I would love him just for his lifestyle.

James McAvoy doesn’t seem to even understand why anyone would bother following him or taking his picture. He told Newsweek about an incident where he and Duff were followed by a photographer, who eventually decided not to bother taking pictures of the couple, as they weren’t worth the $20 parking lot he’d have to park in.

I’ve only ever had anybody waiting outside my house once. We got in our car and we were followed, and it was very weird and disconcerting. We thought we would just go about our daily life and just ignore it, all that kind of thing. I think because we had once read that Clive Owen said just ignore it. Like, do whatever Clive Owen does—he’s a solid guy. We were going into town to buy something for the house, and we went into a parking lot that costs £10 an hour, and on seeing the price of the parking, the paparazzi went, “F— that.” They left us alone. So the lesson is, if you’re being chased by paparazzi, don’t drive fast. Just find a really expensive parking lot, and you will be fine.

[From Newsweek]

Sounds like good advice. Next time the press is following me and I just can’t shake them, I’ll swerve into the most expensive lot I can find. McAvoy is getting rave reviews for his performance in “Atonement,” and will next be starring with Angelina Jolie in “Wanted.” Though he’s certainly making some decent money, his neighbors say you’d never know it. Commenting on his lack-of-flash lifestyle, McAvoy told the Daily Mail “I’d rather be who I am and do what I do without seeking any attention.” Something tells me he’ll end up getting more attention for his regular Joe attitude than if he blended in with all the other celebs.

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s James at the Hollywood Life Magazine’s 7th Annual Breakthrough of the Year Awards on December 9th. Header of James and Keira Knightley at the “Atonement” Screening Hosted by The Cinema Society on December 3rd. Images thanks to PR Photos.

Well, in this competition there was only one judge, but she had previously kissed Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. Keira Knightly has declared James McAvoy the best kisser ever.

“James [McAvoy] is the best kisser ever!” a giggling Knightley, 22, said of her Atonement costar while sitting in romantic Venice.

People

Of course, she’s blurted this out right in front of James’ face. It wouldn’t exactly be diplomatic to say “He’s all tongue and sometimes my nose gets caught up in it, if I wasn’t being paid I’d have puked.” Actually, that would have been pretty hilarious, I wish she had.

Keira’s got a party trick, according to The Independent. She plays ‘Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head’ on her teeth. Please, please have this instead of Beyonce at next year’s Oscar’s.

Keira this week also had her say about Hollywood party girls.

“I’m not going to get blind drunk and then stumble out and fall over and puke up in front of people. I’m not saying I don’t do that in private, but I try not to,’ the Sun quoted her, as saying.

Calling her performance in ‘Atonement’ her best so far, Knightley said that being a celebrity is all about proving that one is shoddier than the other

“The whole celebrity thing is not magic. They’re real people proving they’re s******r than everybody else because they don’t even wear knickers,” she told Empire.

Times of India

I’ve been to London. It is very cold. You’ll catch your death if you go out late nights there with no panties.

Picture note by Celebitchy James McAvoy is shown at The Last King of Scotland premiere on 10/18/06. Keira Knightley is shown below at the Venice Film Festival this week.