(Image credits: Skydance Media, 20th Century Studios)
Scottish actor James McAvoy won over fans as the younger Professor X in the "X-Men" prequel films, becoming every bit as popular as Patrick Stewart's older incarnation. Apparently, one younger Stewart role was not enough. During a recent appearance on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast, McAvoy revealed that several years ago, he pitched a "Star Trek" prequel series that would have cast him as a young Captain Jean-Luc Picard, another character made famous by Stewart.
McAvoy recalled: "I pitched a story to the 'Star Trek' team, and we nearly made it. I had this entire story about an early Picard. All I really want to do in my career is play younger versions of Patrick," he joked. "I came up with a whole young Picard story that I absolutely loved, and I envisioned it as a one-off, standalone season. It would have explored how Picard became captain of the Stargazer and the secret he had kept about that experience ever since. I pitched it to them, and they really loved it, but logistical issues ultimately killed the project. I still love that story so much that I go to bed thinking about it."
(Image credit: Skydance Media)
When McAvoy appeared on the same podcast two years ago, he also revealed that he had been offered a role in the 2009 "Star Trek" reboot but turned it down. At the time, he declined to identify the character. Now he has confirmed it was another iconic captain: a young James T. Kirk. "I remember meeting J.J. Abrams at the Four Seasons in Los Angeles to talk about it. They asked if I wanted the role and whether I would do a screen test, and I said no. I remember telling him, 'I don't want to test for it because I know I'm not right. The old Kirk felt like a quarterback, but the Kirk in your script is more like a quarterback who has gone off the rails. The story is about how he becomes the Kirk we all know.' You couldn't ask for a better character analysis than that," McAvoy joked.
(Image credit: Skydance Media)
McAvoy went on to praise Chris Pine's performance as Kirk: "The Kirk we ultimately got was fantastic. I didn't give J.J. advice or anything like that. It wasn't as if I said, 'J.J., listen to me,' and that somehow led him to Chris Pine. That isn't what happened. The script was already brilliant. I hate using this phrase, but Hollywood loves it: 'Without question, that's the kind of actor you need.' He's incredibly handsome, like this charismatic stallion, but he also has a playful quality. I'm sure he'll be delighted to hear me describe him that way," McAvoy laughed. "Who wouldn't want to look like him? At the same time, he perfectly balanced seriousness, authority and conviction with a touch of fourth-wall-breaking comedy, while also paying tribute to William Shatner's performance. Nobody could have done it better."