James McAvoy opens up about parenting and directing at 46

James McAvoy has opened up about how becoming a father again in his 40s has changed his perspective on parenting.

The 46-year-old actor, who shares a son born in 2010 with his ex-wife Anne-Marie Duff, welcomed a second child in 2022 with his current wife, Lisa Liberati. 

Speaking to The Guardian, McAvoy admitted that while he “worries less” and is “more philosophical” as a parent now, being an older dad comes with its own challenges.

“Having a kid at 42 is definitely easier in some ways. I worry less. I’m a bit more philosophical,” he said. “But it’s also harder, because you’re just older and tireder.”

McAvoy, who recently directed his first film, California Schemin’, said taking on a new creative project in his 40s has added extra stress. 

“I’m getting all that first-timer stress in my 40s. When we were shooting the film, I’d wake up at 2:30 a.m. with the film buzzing in my head,” he shared. 

“That’s the time that you work your socks off, burn the midnight oil, run the extra mile – and usually when you’re doing that, you’re in your 20s.”

The film tells the true story of two Scottish rappers who drop their accents to pretend they are American in a bid for fame. 

McAvoy noted that the plot reflects broader challenges for Scottish entertainers trying to make it in film.

“If I was making this film set in Boston about the exact same age group, there’d be two movie stars playing those roles,” he explained, referring to less well-known actors Samuel Bottomley and Seamus McLean Ross. 

“There’s maybe five actors in Scotland who could get stuff greenlit – and not definitely, if it’s set in Scotland: Gerry [Butler], Ewan [McGregor], Karen Gillan, me, Richard Madden. And we’re all over 35 and only one of them is a woman. I don’t know why that is, because it’s not like we don’t make actors. So where’s that 21-year-old movie star?”