James McAvoy on Wales Filming Sparking Outdoor Passion

Scottish actor James McAvoy, 47, credited his early work in Wales with igniting a lasting love for the outdoors. During the 2000 BBC costume drama Lorna Doone, filmed in Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons), he climbed Pen y Fan, south Wales' highest mountain, at every opportunity. He told Behnaz Akhgar on BBC Radio Wales that being in Brecon for that series got him into camping and hiking, which he pursued until age 30. McAvoy later returned to Wales for the fantasy series His Dark Materials (2018–2021), filming in Cardiff and other locations, describing it as a really good time. He also discussed his directorial debut, California Schemin', a comedy-drama about two Scottish rappers who pretended to be from California to get a record deal, released in UK cinemas last month. McAvoy said the film allowed him to represent underrepresented groups and people from lower income backgrounds, and places from his childhood rarely seen on screen. He aimed for a short, fast-paced film, finishing before the audience wanted it to end. Fans of the 19th-century novel Lorna Doone were reportedly outraged that producers chose Wales over Exmoor, Devon, where the story is set.