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James McAvoy takes fewer risks now he's a father. The 35-year-old actor and his wife Anne-Marie Duff have four-year-old son Brendan together. As a parent, the star has had to dial back his love of adrenaline-fuelled antics.
'I would love to do a skydive. But that will have to wait for now'
"I take fewer risks," he admitted to German magazine Jolie when asked how fatherhood has changed him.
"I would love to do a skydive, because I like anything to do with heights. But that will have to wait for now.
"But I do still use my motorbike. After the birth of Brendan I was all set to sell it, but my wife insisted it was a part of my personality. However, I do drive on secure tracks - it's much safer than in normal traffic."
Despite being a Golden Globe-nominated actor, James isn't into the fancy Hollywood life. He drove the same old Nissan car for years, but recently traded that in for a "practical" family vehicle.
His latest role is in The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby: Them, which also stars Jessica Chastain and deals with a couple who have lost a child.
Portraying his downtrodden character was easier than some might think.
"It was simple - when I went out drinking with friends, I just didn't come home early and ordered another couple of beers instead. That made the make-up artists' jobs very nice and easy the next day," he laughed.
As a family man, taking on the part wasn't such a clear-cut decision, however. At first he worried it would hit too close to home.
"When I received the script, I'd just become a father," he recalled. "I didn't want to be in a film that featured a couple dealing with the death of their child. It took two years after the birth of Brendan for me to be at enough of a distance to take on the story."
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