James McAvoy won the role of Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after the filmmakers dropped their original and much older choice. The switch came from a late realization about what the faun actually does in the story. McAvoy has since admitted that he recalls almost nothing of the audition itself, which makes for a thin review of his own performance. He does, however, remember exactly why he got the job.

It all came down to a casting twist that replaced a seasoned actor in his mid-30s with a baby-faced twenty-something.

James McAvoy landed the iconic role of Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe after filmmakers decided the faun had to be played by a boy, not a man. An established actor in his mid-30s had initially been hired for the role before the casting took an unexpected turn.

“As much as Mr. Tumnus is cute and they like they do become genuine friends. He is also somebody who’s kidnapping her," McAvoy explained on the Happy Sad Confused podcast.

He then added that the filmmakers were like, “we can’t have a man do this, right? And so they were like we need a boy.”

The part needed a friend first and a kidnapper second, and an adult could not balance that. The logic rests on what Mr. Tumnus actually does, and McAvoy spelled it out on the Happy Sad Confused podcast. The faun takes a little girl to his home, effectively d**** her, and hands her over to the White Witch. McAvoy was 22 or 23 at the time but looked about 14, and he joked that he posed no threat to anyone. The role also hit home personally, since he grew up replaying a taped BBC version and rereading the book.

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While Narnia hired McAvoy for looking harmless, his first day as a professional actor suggested that some colleagues saw him as a rival.

James McAvoy was bullied by a co-star on his first day as a professional actor, fresh out of acting school, on the set of Band of Brothers. He revealed this on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen after being shown a photo from the HBO series. The unnamed actor got a group of people to point at him and laugh for several minutes. McAvoy rated his overall experience nine out of ten, but that day just two.

The incident unfolded during a crowded bar scene. Many cast members had spent nine or ten months on the series for a line here and there, while McAvoy appeared in only one episode, Replacements, as Private First Class James W. Miller, with real dialogue and a proper arc. That gap reportedly stirred resentment. McAvoy ruled out David Schwimmer, who was not among the actors in the photo. Day one on set brought a bully, but a few years later, a casting room in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe decided his face was too harmless for anyone to fear.

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What are your thoughts on James McAvoy’s bumpy start and his unlikely break in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe? Let us know in the comments.