James McAvoy: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is a beautiful device for reflection and comparison.

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST star James McAvoy tells SFX Magazine that there was a lot of pressure playing the role of Professor Xavier after the iconic portrayal by Sir Patrick Stewart. “It’s a bit of a barometer for you as an actor, taking on that part, banging it out to somebody else who’s done your job for 14 years,” he says. “I never thought for a minute when I stepped into Charles’ shoes that I would ever have to work with Patrick, playing the same character. It’s hilarious, man. It was a lot of pressure, but it was good. You just have to hit it hard.”

When McAvoy first learned of the plot for DOFP, he was concerned that maybe Fox was backtracking and unhappy with the way FIRST CLASS turned out. “My team, we thought we were redoing it. We thought we were rebooting it. And then we find out that the previous cast are coming in and joining us. Fuck – did we mess up? Did we not do a good film? Do you not like us? But then you read the script and you realize that it’s a beautiful device and a beautiful opportunity to do not just a mash-up of characters, which seems to be quite in vogue at the moment, but one that involves reflection and comparison.”

Fans will get to see a darker and depressed version of Xavier this time out, and McAvoy says that’s all for good reason. “If you’re going to go back in time and show them at an earlier stage in their lives there’s no point in doing it if they’re just going to be the same,” McAvoy explains. “The point of it is that you’re showing the audience how people grow.”