NEWSJames McAvoy Claims Famous 'Band of Brothers' Costar Bullied and Humiliated Him on His First Day on Set
James McAvoy recalled being bullied on his first day of shooting 'Band of Brothers.'
Oct. 13 2026, Published 10:15 a.m. ET
James McAvoy recalled being allegedly targeted by an unnamed costar on the set of Band of Brothers during his first day filming the 2001 HBO miniseries.
"One of the guys in that picture decided to bully me — on my first day as a professional actor out of acting school. He got him and his buddies to just stand pointing at me and laugh at me for, like, three minutes," McAvoy said during the Monday, October 12, episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.
McAvoy Recalls His First Day on Set
McAvoy felt this happened over jealousy as he had 'tons of lines' despite being a newcomer.
McAvoy said the incident took place while filming a bar scene.
"All these guys were in it for nine months, 10 months, and they get one line in one episode and one line 10 episodes later. They were all p-----. I come in for one episode, and I've got an arc and scenes. I've got tons of lines," he explained.
McAvoy played Private First Class James W. Miller in the fourth episode of Band of Brothers, titled "Replacements."
Two Costars Helped McAvoy Through the Experience
McAvoy said two costars helped him through the incident after he felt 'terrible.'
McAvoy recalled that actors Dexter Fletcher and Robin Laing stepped in after the alleged bullying incident.
"They pulled me aside and said, 'Come hang with us, man,'" he said.
Cohen reacted to the account by describing the incident as "terrible."
McAvoy rated his first day on set a 2 out of 10 but gave the overall experience a much more positive assessment, scoring the rest of his time on the production a 9 out of 10.
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McAvoy Reflects on His Early Acting Career
'The Near Room' was an 'amazing' experience, McAvoy recounted while talking about his debut movie.
During his Watch What Happens Live appearance, McAvoy also reflected on other projects from his career, including his 1995 film debut in The Near Room.
Although he described the experience as "amazing," he admitted that he was "terrified" at the time.
His Experience on 'The Chronicles of Narnia'
McAvoy said 'The Chronicles of Narnia' was 'awesome' as he just went 'hiking and camping.'
McAvoy also shared fond memories of appearing in The Chronicles of Narnia roughly a decade later, giving the experience a perfect score of 10 out of 10.
"I played the h----- goat guy," he said, referring to his role as Mr. Tumnus in the 2005 fantasy film The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
McAvoy said he spent about six months in New Zealand for the production but worked for only 20 days, leaving him plenty of time to explore the country.
"So I just went hiking and camping. It was awesome," he recalled.
