James McAvoy allegedly assaulted in Toronto bar after promoting directorial debut

Actor was in city for its annual film festival when he was reportedly attacked

Actor James McAvoy, known for his roles in Atonement and Speak No Evil, was reportedly assaulted in a bar in Toronto, Canada.

The 46-year-old was allegedly “sucker punched” by another drinker at Charlotte’s Room bar on Monday evening (8 September), two days after the premiere of his directorial debut California Schemin’ at the city’s film festival.

“James was having a casual get-together with the producers of his movie and, as he later learned when speaking with the staff, there was a man who drank too much who was getting escorted out.

“James’s back was to him and the man just punched him,” a source told People magazine.

McAvoy had “not interacted with the man previously, nor did he provoke the attack” and was “caught off guard” by the incident, according to Entertainment Weekly magazine.

The publication reported that other patrons of Charlotte’s Room “rushed in to restrain the man,” who was “eventually escorted out” after the attack.

James McAvoy has reportedly been assaulted in a bar in Toronto (Getty Images)

Following the assault, McAvoy reportedly “stayed at the bar and even laughed off the incident with other patrons and staff”.

The Independent has contacted Charlotte’s Room and McAvoy’s representatives for comment.

The reported assault against McAvoy comes after the actor debuted California Schemin’ at the Toronto International Film Festival, his first project as a director.

California Schemin’ follows the real-life story of Dundee rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd, who rebranded themselves as the Cali duo Silibil N’ Brains to try and break into the 2000s music scene.

Bain and Boyd tricked record labels after ditching their Scottish accents for their alter egos, secured a Sony UK record deal and lived like pop stars, despite never releasing a record.

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Their scheme eventually fell apart with Boyd quitting music to work in the oil industry and Brains pursuing a solo career. Their unlikely story was the subject of the 2013 documentary The Great Hip Hop Hoax.

McAvoy said in a Q&A ahead of the film’s premiere: “I wanted my debut to be Scottish, because we’re underrepresented. And this film is partly about one of the reasons that you don’t have more Scottish films.

“The noise that comes out of our mouths alienates people. They think it’s exotic. They think we’re talking about kilts or porridge, but they can’t listen to it for an hour and a half.”