James McAvoy has revealed that he almost died in 2017 after a lung biopsy went wrong and his lung collapsed while he was alone at home. The 47-year-old Scottish actor shared the story on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, in an episode released on Monday, October 12.
McAvoy explained that a routine check-up had picked up a shadow on his lung, and doctors ordered a biopsy to rule out cancer. The results came back clear, but the procedure itself caused serious problems. “But that was botched, and I nearly died,” he told Shepard. Two days later his lung collapsed as he lay in bed, with nobody else in the house. “I was on my own as well, so it was crazy,” he said.
He went on to spend two to three weeks in hospital. An infection slowed his recovery, early treatments failed to work, and doctors discussed a more invasive operation to clean out the affected area. The timing was difficult because the scare came shortly before he was due to film Glass, M. Night Shyamalan’s 2019 follow-up to Split, in which he returned as Kevin Wendell Crumb. The sequel gave more screen time to the character known as the Beast, including outdoor scenes shot in daylight.
After leaving hospital he could walk but could not run, cycle or jog, so he asked Shyamalan about hiring a trainer. The first four weeks focused on rehabilitation and basic movement before the work turned to building muscle for the role. McAvoy praised the trainer, saying the man who worked with him was “amazing”. During the wide-ranging conversation he also talked about growing up in Glasgow and about working with Keira Knightley, his co-star in Atonement. He spoke about the episode in a matter-of-fact way, focusing as much on the slow recovery as on the danger itself.
The actor has recently moved behind the camera. He directed California Schemin’, based on the true story of two aspiring rappers from Dundee who passed themselves off as Americans to break into the music business. The film had its UK gala premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival and opened in UK and Irish cinemas in April. McAvoy is married to Lisa Liberati, and has a 15-year-old son, Brendan, with his former wife, actress Anne-Marie Duff, to whom he was married from 2006 to 2016.
