Before X-Men, James McAvoy Starred In An Original Version Of A Long-Running American Series

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James McAvoy is and has been a respected (and busy) actor for some time. And it's not just his roles in acclaimed dramas like "Atonement" either. He's regularly delivered great work in blockbuster, popcorn entertainment such as the "X-Men" franchise as well, with the actor taking on the role of a younger Charles Xavier beginning in 2011 with "X-Men: First Class." But long before that, he starred in the original version of a long-running American TV series.

The show in question is "Shameless," which ran for 11 seasons on Showtime in the U.S. Before that, it was an 11-season U.K. dramedy that ran from 2004 to 2013. Both shows, generally speaking, chronicle the life of Frank Gallagher, a single father raising several children who drinks too much, as well as the various Gallagher children and the misadventures that result from their dynamics. The American version diverged more as the show went on, but broadly, they followed the same formula to start.

McAvoy played Steve McBride, the boyfriend of Fiona Gallagher, who was played by Emmy Rossum in the U.S. version. Anne-Marie Duff played the role originally. Rossum left the role of Fiona Gallagher behind in "Shameless" during season 9, in part over a pay dispute, but that's another story entirely.

As for McAvoy, he left during season 2 of the original show, meaning he was gone long before Showtime decided to produce a version of the show for American audiences with William H. Macy in the lead role. While that might have looked like a bad call given how long the show ran, McAvoy went on to have a stellar career, starring in the "Narnia" movies, "The Last King of Scotland," and "Wanted," among others, even before landing his "X-Men" role.

American remakes of British TV shows are nothing new, but they're rarely as successful as "Shameless." The British original "The Office" was another exception, inspiring a nine-season juggernaut in America. "The Office" is ranked as the best sitcom of all time on IMDB, recently spawning a spin-off, "The Paper."

For McAvoy, watching what Showtime did with "Shameless" was a strange experience. Speaking on the "Happy Sad Confused" podcast in 2024, the actor explained that it was weird to see someone else on screen doing what he'd done previously. Here's what he had to say about it:

"Was it weird for me to watch? Totally. There was a guy playing my part, I think he's the guy in 'The Bear' now, and he was doing stuff that I improvised on the day. And you're like, 'Wow, they've really like taken it...' I think they then went off and did their own amazing stuff that was different to what we did."

The actor he's referencing is Jeremy Allen White, who played Phillip "Lip" Gallagher and does indeed now star in "The Bear" on Hulu (but Lip is Fiona's brother, not her boyfriend). Somewhat ironically, McAvory was promoting his remake of "Speak No Evil," which does have a different ending from the original, but was a remake all the same.

It's certainly not that McAvory is opposed to remakes at all or even the remake of the show, just that it can be strange for an actor in his position. As for the future? A return to "Shameless" feels highly unlikely, but McAvory is open to returning as Professor X in the MCU, under the right circumstances.

You can grab "Shameless: The Complete Series" on DVD from Amazon.