James McAvoy's Rent Boy Career Fear

James McAvoy used to think he would be typecast as a "rent boy or hooligan".

The 29-year-old actor feared his strong Scottish accent and working-class upbringing would prevent him from landing lead roles in Hollywood.

He said: "I went to drama school knowing I could do angry young working-class men from Scotland. And I thought, 'I'll probably come out being able to do that better, and I can play angry young rent boys or hooligans.'

"But it taught me how to liberate myself from class, locale, environment, the whole thing and just give yourself to being someone else."

McAvoy - who has starred in action movie 'Wanted', period drama 'Atonement' and children's film 'The Chronicles of Narnia...' - hopes to continue challenging himself with different movie roles.

He told Harper's Bazaar magazine: "It is nice to test the audience. If I had been offered the same thing over and over again, I would have accepted it. But it is the lot of an actor - your career is decided for you."