James McAvoy has been one of the most magnetic stars of British television and American film in the 21st century, and his best movies and shows speak to his sheer versatility. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, McAvoy made his acting debut as a teenager in 1995 but gained notoriety on TV a little later with State of Play (2003) and Frank Herbert's Children of Dune (2003). After a crucial supporting role as Mr. Tumnus in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005), McAvoy has been on a consistent, strong streak for the better part of two decades.
From heroic roles in animated films like Arthur Christmas (2011) or villainous turns in Speak No Evil (2024), McAvoy has consistently been one of the best parts of whatever he's starring in. Here are the 10 best James McAvoy movies and TV shows and where you can check them out on Netflix, HBO Max, and more!
10. His Dark Materials (2019-2022)
His Dark Materials is a show that puts James McAvoy’s abilities to great use in a short time, highlighting how quickly the actor can charm his way into your heart and menace your worst nightmares in the same role. As Lord Asriel, McAvoy joins a stacked lineup of performers who've appeared as the character in adaptations of Phillip Pullman’s His Dark Materials book trilogy. Daniel Craig, Timothy Dalton, and Terence Stamp each played the character in different media, all of them bringing their own unique touches to the character. However, McAvoy’s is arguably the best, a deceptively charming leader with dark ambitions.
McAvoy fit in perfectly to the bombastic but mature approach to storytelling, with a visceral brutality that allowed the show’s emotional core to shine through. A terrific and more mature follow-up to stuff like the Harry Potter series and the Percy Jackson and the Olympians (2023), His Dark Materials is a solid adventure for fantasy fans, but McAvoy shines even brighter in other projects, which is why it ranks last on this list.
9. It Chapter Two (2019)
While It (2017) was more visually clever, McAvoy and the rest of the grown Losers Club in It Chapter Two all do a terrific job at embodying both the spirit of the Stephen King novel and the film’s exploration of lost innocence and lingering trauma against the backdrop of a supernatural killer clown. Viciously embracing the R-rating afforded to the team, director Andy Muschietti puts the cast through the wringer in a solid translation of the source material that ups the blockbuster elements alongside the emotional beats that define the characters.
McAvoy fits in perfectly for the leader role, a great evolution of the performance by Jaeden Martell that embodies a mournful but determined core. Audiences who don’t like gory scares or unsettling horror should skip this one, but it’s worth a watch for anyone still in a Halloween sort of mood.
8. The Book of Clarence (2023)
An ambitious comedy that fuses the social commentary of Atlanta (2016) with the religious focus of Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979), The Book of Clarence stumbles at times but has moments of real impressive depth. Focusing on a scam artist in Biblical times who takes to impersonating the feats of Jesus Christ, The Book of Clarence gives McAvoy a chance to portray Pontius Pilate with a certain sadistic edge, embodying a timeless figure of villainous authority with an appealing sense of natural intimidation.
Opposite LaKeith Stanfield, McAvoy is a great villain whose darker elements make him a perfect contrast to the criminal but sympathetic portrayal of Clarence. Not for people looking for historically accurate recreations of history or religion, The Book of Clarence is a solid modern-day riff on the kind of questions that theologians (and Monty Python) have been asking for decades.
7. Filth (2013)
One of James McAvoy’s best qualities as an actor is his ability to fully embrace a wild side while retaining a sort of magnetic charm, and this ability is never better than in Filth. Depicting one of the most horrifically horrible versions of a police officer ever depicted on film, Filth follows an Edinburgh detective sergeant who causes and endures all sorts of chaos across the city while investigating a murder. The entire film is a darkly hilarious deep-dive into a complexly demented mind that takes a standard cop drama and turns it into a pitch-black comedy.
McAvoy is perfect in the role as a wild typhoon of a man that’s always on the edge of self-destruction. It’s an enthusiastically unpleasant performance that almost dares the viewer to look away, the sort of balancing act that McAvoy has gotten very good at perfecting. Anyone who only loves the sweet McAvoy performances in projects like The Chronicles of Narnia (as well as children) should stay away, but anyone excited by the actor’s darkly comedic and bleakly dramatic chops should check out this film.
6. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (2014)
A somber and romantic tragedy, The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is an ambitious experimental approach to romantic filmmaking. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is technically three films in one that only works because of the strong lead performances. A somber reflection on the struggles of love amid the fallout of grief, the film stars McAvoy and Jessica Chastain as a married couple grieving the loss of their son.
The three films are “Him,” “Her,” and “Them,” which tell the same tale from different perspectives. McAvoy and Chastain are heartbreakingly vulnerable in the movie, showcasing the natural dynamic they’d revisit in It Chapter Two. For fans of other experimental love stories like Before Sunrise (1995) and Conversations With Other Women (2006), The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby is a somber film that will touch viewers and leave them in a more ambiguous emotional space.
5. Atonement (2007)
The film that truly launched James McAvoy into stardom with a Golden Globe nomination, Atonement is a heartwrenchingly romantic film anchored by McAvoy and Keira Knightley’s performances. Adapted from the 2001 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan, the film follows the tragic romance between a wealthy young woman and a soldier in love with her against the backdrop of World War II.
The intimately emotional story is bolstered by Joe Wright’s terrific direction, bringing a real cinematic scope to an intimate, charged story about the nature of truth and forgiveness. Powerfully tender and memorably romantic, Atonement is a great choice for fans of shows like Downton Abbey (2010) and Bridgerton (2020) that thread the needle between period drama and romantic interlude that the Brontë Sisters would be proud of.
4. X-Men: First Class (2011)
James McAvoy was stepping into big shoes, so to speak, when took on the role of Charles Xavier in X-Men: First Class. The prequel to the earlier X-Men (2000) Fox films had cast Patrick Stewart in the role, whose fatherly warmth but sly manipulations made for a compelling take on the psychic founder of the mutant team. However, McAvoy turns out to be perfectly cast in the part, imbuing his performance with a deft blend of empathy and swagger that makes for a deceptively perfect foil to Michael Fassbender’s pitch-perfect performance as a young Magneto.
X-Men: First Class may take a lot of liberties from the source material and the series that it’s nominally building too, but the film’s period-setting stylings, clever touches, and deeply emotional performances make this a highlight of the Fox X-Men series. Superhero fans won’t want to skip this one.
3. Shameless (2004-2013)
A terrific BBC show that eventually inspired a just as good Showtime dramedy for the ages, Shameless is a terrific grimy riff on the sitcom. Appearing throughout the first two seasons of the show, McAvoy finds the perfect balance between the gritty edge he brought to Filth alongside the more romantic charms he displayed in Atonement. Here, McAvoy plays Fiona Gallagher’s boyfriend, a deceptively sweet car thief who serves as a surprising moral core of the show opposite the rest of the Gallagher family.
Shameless was one of McAvoy’s first prominent performances and remains one of his most effective. Very much of its time and not for people who like their character dramas more in line with Freaks and Geeks (1999) or Young Sheldon (2017), Shameless is a great drama that’s perfect for the audience who loves the off-kilter touches of Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) or Little Miss Sunshine (2006).
2. Split (2016)
Arguably the most impressive performance in James McAvoy’s career, Split is a marvel of acting focus that only works because of the versatility that the actor has honed over the course of his career. McAvoy plays a predator with dozens of personalities, allowing him to embody multiple characters in the same body. Some are frightening, some are innocent, and some—like the Beast—are monsters.
Split is a tense thriller that reminded audiences why M. Night Shaymalan was such a promising filmmaker before a string of big misfires derailed his career in the public eye. McAvoy has the perfect level of pulp commitment and intense depth to make a very tricky character incredibly compelling. Technically, the second film in the Unbreakable (2000) and Glass (2019) trilogy, Split is a terrific stand-alone film that is the perfect showcase for McAvoy as a horror performer.
1. State of Play (2003)
One of the best BBC dramas of the 21st century, State of Play is an electric thriller and a great showcase for a young James McAvoy. When a researcher is killed amid the rise of an ambitious new politician, the police and journalistic investigations unearth a massive conspiracy. A prime thriller, McAvoy plays a key supporting role as Dan Foster, the son of the Herald’s editor, Cameron Foster.
Gripping and intense, State of Play is a perfect drama for anyone who loves shows like House of Cards (2013). The American adaptation, State of Play (2009), isn’t a bad pick either, but if you only watch one, this six-episode miniseries stands out as a terrific thriller for fans who love films like Michael Clayton (2007) and James McAvory. It’s most definitely the best TV show that he has ever been in.
