James McAvoy has spent over 30 years building a career that began almost by accident when he was just 15. After making his screen debut in the Scottish crime film The Near Room, he established himself through British television dramas like Shameless before earning acclaim for The Last King of Scotland and Atonement. His Hollywood success grew further with Wanted and his portrayal of Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men franchise.

Yet a career spanning three decades nearly faced an unimaginable turning point when McAvoy underwent a surgery that went horribly wrong, leaving him fearing for his life.

James McAvoy has spent decades bringing complicated characters to life, but in 2017, the actor faced a frightening ordeal of his own. Appearing on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast on October 12, the 47-year-old star revisited a medical emergency that unfolded after doctors discovered a shadow on his lung and recommended a biopsy to determine whether it was cancerous.

“But that was botched, and I nearly died,” he revealed.

McAvoy explained that his lungs collapsed just two days after he returned home, leaving him alone when the frightening emergency struck. He spent two to three weeks in hospital as doctors battled an infection that refused to respond to initial treatment. Eventually, the medical team proposed opening his chest to clean out the infection more aggressively.

The ordeal came shortly before McAvoy filmed Glass, the sequel to M. Night Shyamalan’s psychological thriller Split. In the 2019 film, he returned as Kevin Wendell Crumb, whose 24 distinct personalities include the superhuman Beast. Speaking on Armchair Expert, McAvoy also recalled how difficult it was to recover and get back to work after coming so close to losing his life.

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With Faith now adding another chapter to his career, James McAvoy’s journey to Glass stands out as a reminder that even a near-fatal surgery could not keep him from a role that demanded serious muscle.

Returning to work after a near-fatal medical ordeal was challenging enough, but James McAvoy had a particularly demanding transformation waiting for him on the set of M. Night Shyamalan’s Glass. Fresh out of hospital, the actor could walk but could not run, jog, or cycle for the first four weeks. Rebuilding his strength required patience before he could even think about bulking up.

With production approaching, McAvoy worked with his trainer on rehabilitation and functional movements before shifting towards building the imposing physique required for Kevin Wendell Crumb’s Beast. The goal was a body resembling a mythological Greek figure, and McAvoy pushed through the demanding process despite his recent health crisis. His determination to prepare for Glass was remarkable considering how nearly the botched surgery had cost him his life.

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What do you think of James McAvoy's life-threatening ordeal? Let us know in the comments!