Do you see any sexual tension between James McAvoy & Alexandra Shipp?

Yeah, I don’t know what to tell you. Two Fridays ago, we learned that James McAvoy had split from his wife Anne-Marie Duff. A few days later, British outlets said that there might have been another person involved in the split: James’ young X-Men costar Alexandra Shipp, who you can see in these photos. McAvoy is 37 years old and Alexandra (who plays the young Storm) is 24 years old.

These photos are from a few days ago. Alexandra, James and the whole X-Men cast has been in New York this week to promote the film. The Daily Mail claims that James and Alexandra are being kept apart while promoting the film, but all I see is sexual tension. Sexual tension at AOL, sexual tension at a Q&A session (as Alexandra looks at James adoringly). So, judging from these photos and from the current murmurs, do you believe that James McAvoy cheated on Anne-Marie with Alexandra? Or do you think Anne-Marie and James fell apart a while back and James and Alexandra only began hooking up recently? Or do you believe that nothing is happening between them?

James was also on The Late Show last night and he was lovely and Scottish. In the third video, he talks about the UK’s Class Ceiling and he’s really great there.

Photos courtesy of Getty, Pacific Coast News.

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85 Responses to “Do you see any sexual tension between James McAvoy & Alexandra Shipp?”

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  1. Mike says:

    I guess I’m missing it. To me it looks like she’s just looking at whoever is talking; first James and then the guy in the middle. I don’t really see any adoration.

    • Mira says:

      I agree she looks the same way at evan peters.

    • tracking says:

      +2

      • Fran says:

        Yep, can’t see any of this sexual tension. if any, he looked more in sync with Jlaw on the Graham Norton show…

    • ichsi says:

      I don’t see it either. Where are they separated? They’re obviously doing promo together, he goes to different events because he’s the bigger star.

      If we’re going by the indicator of people looking lovingly at James, he pretty much must have had an affair/have an ongoing affair with at least 80% of the people he worked with. He’s charming and funny, and people will look at him like that. I dare to believe the common theory over at the DM forums that J-Law’s PR people threw Alexandra in front of the bus (she is the next closest in age, single female co-star) when rumours of Jennifer wrecking the marriage started to arise after the badly timed announcement coincided with the GN interview. Not that J-Law is doing him, they just didn’t want her name tied to any of this.

      All of that said, after the announcement I do see some things he said and did in a different light and sorta can see him going on a bender and sleeping with every twenty-something who crosses his way in the next few months. To think of it makes me queasy because he was (is?) IS my favourite celebrity and he was supposed to be one of the good, non-cheesy or clichéd ones who can actually keep it in their pants.

      • Bibi81 says:

        “To think of it makes me queasy because he was (is?) IS my favourite celebrity and he was supposed to be one of the good, non-cheesy or clichéd ones who can actually keep it in their pants.”

        All of this. I still can remember an interview with him from a couple of years ago, where he talked about his wife and his marriage. He said along the lines “now the world seems not such a scary place”. There was something so profound about it.

        It makes me sad that they didn’t make it. But it’s life, life is about constant change, and we have to accept that.

      • TreadStyle says:

        +1 ICSHI he has always been one of my top faves ever and I don’t think I can handle if he starts acting wild and typical Hollywood guy. I will be so bummed. He also looks extra hot in that top photo! Ahh I just love him! Please be the same person James!

      • Original T.C. says:

        I don’t believe the JLaw story. She McAvoy and Fassbender seem like platonic friends who look out for each other.

        I *do* believe the Daily Fail is however guilty of “white vision”. They got a scoop that James McAvoy was having an affair with a hot young co-star and they automatically overlooked Alexandra and went for the White blonde girl as the default. Since James (as far as I know) has never dated a WOC, I can kind-of half excuse them.

        But many media outlets are guilty of “white vision”: overlooking WOC as attractive potential hook-ups or girlfriends for their White male cast members.

      • SloaneY says:

        Except that it wasn’t the fail that first put that about JLaw out there. They just had a basic article about the divorce and people in the comments were all saying it was no wonder with the way they seemed to be flirting on Graham Norton.

        I do think the Alexandra stuff was put out there by JLaw’s PR.

        I’m also with you guys about Mcavoy. I will be crushed if he starts acting like a douche.

      • Original T.C. says:

        @Sloaney

        I still don’t understand why some are so firm in their belief that J.Law was the one who leaked the information. As far as I know, J.Law, Fassbender and McAvoy are tight. What has she ever done to McAvoy or Alexandra to prove she would leak damaging information about his relationship? Because this makes McAvoy look really bad.

        The press and fans in the past have also tried to hook her up with Fassbender and it never stuck, she didn’t go to the press to leak negative things about him. Do you guys have any PROOF or blind item evidence?

        P.S. It doesn’t matter if it was fans or the Daily Fail. It’s the same issue of automatically assuming it’s the White girl instead of a WOC from the cast. Like WOC are not seen as potential mates.

      • delorb says:

        I adore him as well, but nothing he’s done will diminish my feelings. Its not like he killed someone, or drugged and raped them. His marriage ended. It happens. Not many marriages last. I thought they were great together, but if they thought the best thing to do is divorce, then its divorce. I wish them both the best.

        I bet he’s very happy the Depp divorce broke almost at the same time. Very few people will be talking about his split. Not with Amber posting bruised (?) pictures.

    • Alex says:

      Yea I don’t see the tension. James has good report with everyone on the cast and Alex is just looking at him. I feel like people are reading into this too much. Remember the story came from the Daily Fail which first had Jen as the other woman then Alex. Seems like a bunch of BS to me

    • Paula says:

      + 1. Can’t see any tension here.

    • tealily says:

      Yeah, I’m with you. Besides, he’s a beautiful man. I’d probably look at him the same way and I’m not sleeping with him (sadly).

  2. lilacflowers says:

    The DM says they’re being kept apart? Who made that decision? Who has that job? And why would they need to be kept apart?

  3. Mira says:

    She’s far too pretty for him. Good actor but he really isn’t anything special to look at.

    • Locke Lamora says:

      I find him so attractive, just physically. And his personality is great too, although in the last year he bacame a bit too cocky for my taste.
      She’s also stunning.

      • Mira says:

        He’s a completely ordinary looking guy, but he has talent and charm. Shipp is stunning.

      • OSTONE says:

        I also think he is sex on legs. But my hubby favors him a LOT (lucky me!) so I clearly have a type.

      • Diana B says:

        Sex on legs is right. He’s much more attractive to me than Fassbender, for example.

      • OGBklynGirl says:

        @Diana B – I’d call you crazy but the truth is, Fassbender is the ultimate shame f*ck. You know, the kind where you never admit it to even you’re closest girls. But for the rest of your life whenever you think of it, you shiver and smile ….. and then hang your head like, ‘ Wtf was I thinking?’

      • Original T.C. says:

        They look closer in age than on paper. I think he is really attractive. Alexandra is usually very good looking but I think she looks pretty plain with short hair. It doesn’t fit her face. But she does have very lovely skin:) I myself look horrible in a pixi cut or bangs!

      • Mira says:

        I don’t see it. He’s not a particularly young looking 37 year old. She looks early 20s. I like her hair cut. He’s a lovely guy, very talented and charming. I just don’t see this insanely hot thing when I look at his photo. I think hes another one of those average looking white brits posters on Celebitchy are so fond of ( no offense everyone has their own taste, as it should be) 🙂

    • Adrien says:

      He is charismatic. His accent is adorable. Check out Macbeth and Shameless.

      • Mira says:

        I know his work, hes a good actor. I just don’t think hes a very good looking guy. She’s 15 years younger and stunning so it seems like an odd match.
        On another note I hear scottish accents all the time so thats whatever. It seems americans find these british accents so adorable because they are unusual to them? I see those type of accent comments about british men a lot here on celebitchy.

      • Nik says:

        Yeesh you all are relentless. Mira already acknowledged his talent and charm, I don’t know why it’s hard for some to get that others might not still think he’s physically attractive.

        I do think as he got older he became more appealing but he isn’t the most beautiful man I’ve seen by any means. It’s not crazy to me that someone else might think he’s ordinary looking.

    • V4Real says:

      Alexandra is beautiful. I’m glad to see her getting work after that horrible Aaliyah movie though she was also in Straight Outta Compton.

    • CornyBlue says:

      10 minutes of an interview and you will get his appeal.

    • Esmom says:

      Ooh, I disagree, I find him insanely hot. But I also know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 🙂

  4. OriginallyBlue says:

    I don’t really see anything other than James’ beautiful face. I don’t think he cheated though. If they are hooking up it seems like it would me a more recent thing. Wasn’t the movie filmed in 2014 or early 2015?

  5. GingerCrunch says:

    Fingers firmly stuck in my ears, LA LA LA LA LAAAA! Nope. He was supposed to be one of the good guys.

    • HH says:

      Honestly, it’s probably not as black and white as people are making it out to be. If he and his wife were having trouble for a while and agreed to separate (prior to divorce), then this wouldn’t be an issue. With celebrity relationships, there’s always a lag time between the end of the relationship and the divorce announcement.

  6. Insomniac says:

    Looks to me more like she’s checking out Evan Peters. But so would I. He’s cute!

  7. kai says:

    She’s GORGEOUS. If not for the sad fact of his divorce (and the age difference), I think they’d make a really hot couple.

  8. Lisa says:

    Everyone looks at James McAvoy that way

  9. roxane says:

    She’s a stunner, if they are a couple, they make a good looking one. I always had a crush on James Mcavoy so charming with that scottish accent.

  10. als says:

    What I don’t get is why would people that exit very serious long-term relationships jump into a new one so soon.
    It’s like curing a hangover with more alcohol.

  11. mia girl says:

    You want to see James have real sexual tension with someone? You need to see the picture of James and I. Now that’s real sexual tension.
    (Please pay no mind to the fact that I photoshopped them all from pictures where he was looking at Angelina Jolie)

  12. NotSoSocialButterfly says:

    I find him incredibly delicious. So much sex appeal. So thoughtful in response, and witty, as well.

    • BritAfrica says:

      Me too! I find him so delicious.

      Not surprised the marriage didn’t work out. He got way more famous than they both expected and he got married far too young. Come on, who gets married at 27 and expects it to last 50 years?

      • SloaneY says:

        Err……lots of people.

        Why get married if you think it’s not? What exactly is the point? Just live together.

  13. Mia4s says:

    I don’t see it. I mean it’s possible but this is hardly a smoking gun.

    If it is true they need to be so careful with PR, he looks like a jerk and this is a terrible way for a mostly unknown young actress to come to public attention. Remember Abbie Cornish? Yeah, me neither!

  14. SBS says:

    No, don’t see it.

    Him and Fassy on the other hand… Whoa! 😉

    • Kiki says:

      Or even better, Alexandra Shipp and Michael Fassbender. Now that would be some sexual tension.

      Anyone has a problem, SUE ME.

      • I Choose Me says:

        To be fair Fassbender could have sexual chemistry with a bump on a log.

        While I wouldn’t kick James out of bed, Fassy is and always will be sex on legs to me.

      • Paula says:

        I agree on Fassy. I miss him, too bad he’s been MIA from promoting this movie.

  15. Locke Lamora says:

    I like what he said about the class ceeling, but iI also think that it’s very problematic that the majority of up amd coming actors are posh. It’s not just about exposing kids to art, it’s also about giving kids equal opportunities.

    • CornyBlue says:

      Absolutely. I think he deliberately decided to stay away from it becuase that can feel like personal attack. Specially on some actors with rabid fanbases and he might want to avoid getting attacked by them.

    • Tina says:

      That answer sounded very “media trained” to me. It’s a way to address the controversy and focus on what is important (arts education) without insulting anyone in particular.

      • ichsi says:

        He has given some other answers to this before that were less media friendly and quite a bit more antagonising. Still true though. On a laterally related note I also wonder how much of the Colbert interview was pre-approved and decided upon beforehand.

      • Elle says:

        I’ve heard James say this before, and it still doesn’t feel thought through to me….It’s not enough to provide education and then deny access to jobs. There are now, and have always been, very talented working-class actors in Britain. The problem isn’t just education. Even when they go to the right schools and are very talented working-class actors have a harder time getting into the inner circle, for example Riz Ahmed (Oxford educated, wildly talented Oscar-caliber performance in Nightcrawler) and he talks a lot about a lack of opportunities in England.

      • Locke Lamora says:

        Riz Ahmed is amazing! But he’s also not white, which puts even more obstacles in his way.
        The only younger working class actor from England making it big right now seems to be Jack O’Connell. Are there any others?

      • CornyBlue says:

        @Locke Lamora the entire Skins cast is non posh but I am not sure if they are actually working class. So that includes Dev Patel, Jack as you mentioned, Nicholas Hoult, Kaya. Also Taron Egerton, John Boyega are not posh.

      • ichsi says:

        @ Elle Yeah, he talked about that before too. And the dangers to the art itself if everyone performing it comes from the same sort of background. That was one of those moments where he definitely wasn’t as media friendly as a lot of them would have liked him to be. Anyway, I feel like he has a very educated and on-point opinion on this, that he sometimes can’t fit into a one-minute-per-answer interview. I do struggle a little bit with how much of what he says is really genuine atm, but he does seem to feel very strongly about this issue.

        @Locke and CornyBlue
        Not sure about the others but as far as I know Nick Hoult and John Boyega aren’t posh but definitely still middle class. Jack O’Connell and James come from pretty tough working class backgrounds.

      • Kate says:

        Acting is a risky, usually unprofitable career to pursue. The fact that wealthy and middle class people tend to be the ones to pursue it and succeed isn’t exactly surprising, and it’s the case everywhere, not just the UK. If you look at US actors, most come from wealthy or middle class families. The ones that come from poor families were child actors who supported the family, or actors who got their big break within a few months of trying. Or people who became financially comfortable in a different career and then pursued acting.

        If you want to be an actor but you don’t have the fall-back option of living with parents or asking for a few hundred dollars every so often, it’s not going to be a sustainable career for long if you don’t start booking work. And most actors don’t work much. A commercial here, a few lines in a show 8 months later…that’s not enough. Working multiple dead end jobs for years to support your failing acting career gets old, and if you start a proper career, you’ll most likely get sucked into that.

      • Tina says:

        @ichsi, John Boyega grew up in Peckham, back when it was really, really rough. He and his sister were playing with 10 year old Damilola Taylor right before he was stabbed to death. I don’t think you can call him middle class. (Nick Hoult grew up in Berkshire and his father was a BA pilot so I agree with you about him).

      • ichsi says:

        @Tina Oh, oops, I got one of his interviews mixed up, you’re right.

  16. Squiggisbig says:

    I’m shipping her and Evan Peters.

  17. Melody says:

    JM has sexual tension with gum on a sidewalk…

  18. CornyBlue says:

    How James explains the class ceiling is perhaps one of the reasons I can never hate this man. I was really pissed when i heard the rumour and will probably be still pissed if it is true but he is so good for the non-posh kids and actually does scholarship and stuff for them like yunnow sure he is flawed but there is no way a persons entire legacy should be ruined for divorcing one’s wife

  19. Simonsays says:

    I see zero sexual tension but I think that now that he’s divorcing I can lust after him without guilt.
    The whole dating someone twenty years younger than his wife is a bit played out. She’s gorgeous though, hope she doesn’t get screwed in this situation.

  20. Dingding says:

    A bit of fun flirting of co stars who get along well maybe in that pic in which they are standing next to each other. But really not more than that.

  21. H says:

    I just saw Alexandra on The Wendy Williams Show and she is absolutely ADORABLE. I hope the cheating rumors are false.

    • Virgilia Coriolanus says:

      Even if they are seeing each other or just having sex, I don’t understand why it always has to be cheating. ALWAYS. James and Anne Marie are clearly friendly and a few days after they announced, they were photographed outside their house, speaking, not screaming at each other, etc…………I don’t get why it can’t just be that they were both separated for a while, and then he started fooling around with a co-star…….assuming THAT’S even true.

      • ell says:

        divorcing couples don’t need to have screaming matches in public to be having a painful, or even ugly divorce. i’m speaking as a child of divorce, it all looked very civilised on the outside, although they literally couldn’t stand each other.

  22. Lucy says:

    I don’t really see it. In fact, she seems more of Fassy’s type. But as far as I know, he’s a pretty great guy, which is why I wouldn’t blame her for looking at him that way.

  23. cakecakecake says:

    no, there’s sexual tension between ME and HIM.

    thank you very much.

  24. byland says:

    I’m with most of you guys. I don’t see any sexual tension, which actually mystifies me because I’m one of those who also thinks he is The Sex.

    He’s one of my theoretical exceptions, so when my husband found out he and Anne-Marie were divorcing he said “your boyfriend is getting a divorce, so it’s all clear for you to leave me for him now.”

    Ah, I love that man. Both of them actually, but the one I married just a bit more so I’d only touch Mr. McAvoy a bit inappropriately. Maybe a little under the clothes action, but no further.

    A girl can dream, though!

  25. elns says:

    I can’t read anything into these photos.

    I think she’s stunning and he’s an attractive charismatic man.

    The age difference doesn’t even bother me that much . I think they’d make a lovely couple, but I would prefer to think there was no overlapping. I feel bad because even if nothing “happened” while he was with his wife, they will be given constant shade.

  26. ell says:

    lainey recently wrote something about having heard lots of rumours about james acting single for the last year or so. idk why people are dismissing the idea there was an overlap, the way this story came out (in the middle of x-men promotion, when all eyes are on them) makes it really likely to be true.

    • Original T.C. says:

      +1

      Also telling that both their reps haven’t tried to shut this down. Why would MacAvoy announce the divorce before he started doing press with her. They kept Fassbender and his girlfriend from the cast apart too!

      • ichsi says:

        If they shut it down they’d publicly be taking something the DM (hopefully) fabricated seriously. And open the doors to a whole lot more of speculation and new stories about him sleeping with every woman who stands next to him in the process. Them trying to weather it out is a pretty reasonable explanation imo.

        Also there’s talk in some other forums on how they released it at this point because the media got suspicious when he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring at some promo event and she didn’t show up for the premiere. So instead of denying it and having people dig into it on their own, they just went ahead and told the press.

        I’ve been following this guy for a while now and one of the reasons I was so shocked by he news is that there really weren’t (m)any rumours about him. There were rumours about him partying too hard (as in alcohol and illegal substances, not women) and being a bit of a diva on set sometimes, but aside from the usual fare you get when a younger man is with an older woman there weren’t any cheating rumours.

        Again, all of that said, I do see him capable of cheating or hooking up with someone very young now, maybe not with Shipp as I see no tension, but possibly in the future and it does NOT make me particularly happy.

      • ell says:

        ‘Also there’s talk in some other forums on how they released it at this point because the media got suspicious when he wasn’t wearing his wedding ring at some promo event and she didn’t show up for the premiere.’

        big fan as well, been following him for ages, but nope this is made up by some fans who just can’t accept what’s going on. he basically always wore his ring, and literally there was no gossip until he announced the divorce. so it’s not like people were talking like in the affleck/garner divorce, so they had to come out.

        lainey said she never heard any rumours either, until they announced the split. she even posed the question as to why it’s all coming out now.

  27. jferber says:

    Even deep men have seemingly shallow mid-life crises. He’s 37 and the young actress is gorgeous and 24. She makes him see himself and life in a completely new way, etc., etc., etc. To James, it’s an epiphany, but to the rest of us it’s just an orgasm (sorry to be graphic).

  28. Em' says:

    I don’t see it.
    Even if it’s happening, I don’t want to live in a wolrd where James McAvoy is a cheating a§§hole. So I choose to believe that he and Anne Marie have been over for a while

  29. Kate says:

    The finger to the temple things makes me feel ragy

  30. Original T.C. says:

    Ok, just saw Alexandra Shipp on Wendy Williams and she said a big thumbs down on young women dating older men. Wendy asked her a question about hooping up with Mos Def and she said “NO! he’s a GROWN MAN”. So calling B.S. on this rumor for now.

    Here’s the clip Kaiser:
    https://youtu.be/7sh0V1iiupc

    • ell says:

      this dude’s far older than james. also this is typical, when kate winslet and sam mendes got divorced rebecca hall rubbished all gossip about her being the reason of the split, and she was blatantly lying.

      hopefully in this case this rumour isn’t true, but lbr when there’s insistent gossip about something it’s usually because there’s some truth in it.

  31. Tania says:

    I don’t see anything. Just wanted to add that she is beautiful. I actually see a resemblance to Scarlet Johansen??