James McAvoy opened up about the condition that nearly killed him while he was home alone and how he fought his way back into the gym just three weeks after being discharged from hospital.
The actor’s health scare came in the weeks leading up to one of his most physical roles yet – The Beast.
Evolving from his 2016 character in the movie Split, The Beast featured in Glass which became the third film in M. Night Shyamalan’s Unbreakable trilogy.
Needing to appear shirtless for most of his cameo, James was eager to hit the gym before filming Glass but a brush with death made things more challenging for the then 38-year-old star.
First battling sarcoidosis – a condition where small patches of swollen tissue develop in the body – it was an operation as a result of the illness that left him fighting for his life.
The Scottish actor woke with a start one night while on his own and found his lungs had collapsed as a result of an infected wound from a recent biopsy.
He was barely able to speak as he tried to explain what was happening to the healthcare professional on the other end of the 111 call.
Telling GQ about his scary moment, he said: ‘I didn’t get an epiphany of like, every day is so precious, I need to live it to the max. It’s not like that.’
The close call however did force James to appreciate his physical body as he knew he had to hit the gym just three weeks after his three-week hospital stint following his condition.
Highlighting the struggles of finding his way back to shape, he shared: ‘I couldn’t run to the end of the road and back for like, four or five months.
‘But weirdly, I could lift f**king 160kg.’
In order to play The Beast in M Night Shyamalan’s Glass, the actor needed to be in shape as he was to spend most of the film without his shirt on.
James worked with a trainer and slowly started to see progress and changes happening in his body as the weeks went on.
‘He was also kind of rehabilitating me as well. It was kind of perfect timing,’ the actor reflected.
He then went on to comment on his current physique and credits that time for leaving him with bulging muscles: ‘My neck and shoulders just stayed big.’
Moving on to speak about his lengthy career on the silver screen, James made it clear he found a balance that has allowed him to lead a relatively normal life alongside the chaos of fame.
He revealed: ‘I love doing it, but I don’t love the daily grind of the film and telly business.
‘Even if it’s a good script, I certainly can’t rationalise going to work at five or six in the morning and staying out till eight o’clock at night.
‘If my character hasn’t got an interesting part in telling that story it’s quite soul destroying.
‘More and more I’m looking for interesting experiences.’
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