James McAvoy speaks ahead of California Schemin' Glasgow premiere

The Glasgow-born star, known for his roles in X-Men, Shameless and Filth, is bringing his directorial debut California Schemin' to the Glasgow Film Festival on Sunday evening, where it will have its UK premiere in front of a home crowd. The film is based on the true story of Dundee rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd (who make up Silibil N' Brains), who managed to convince the music industry that they were from California in a bid to land a record deal. Samuel Bottomley and Seamus McLean Ross play Billy Boyd and Gavin Bain (Image: Supplied) The movie follows the duo as they become more and more entangled in their lies, before they are forced to face the consequences as the hoax unravels. Shot on location in Dundee and Glasgow, and with a primarily Scottish cast and crew, the film features several well-known locations – from the iconic Barrowlands Ballroom to Dundee United's Tannadice Park. READ MORE: The story behind the film inspired by Edinburgh's Potterfication When asked whether he felt the film was "important" to make, McAvoy told The National: "I don't know if it's important, but it felt right, it felt like what I needed to get out. "This felt like the kind of thing I've been dying to see. I want to see entertaining movies, not just entertaining films, but entertaining movies about working-class people from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with limited horizons and limited opportunities – but they're still entertaining, almost mainstream, fun movies as well." McAvoy said he did not get to see films like that "very much the world over, but certainly not from Great Britain, or specifically in Scotland".  He added that the characters of Gavin and Billy (played by Seamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley), who hail from a council estate in Dundee, "felt like people I absolutely recognise and identify with growing up in Drumchapel myself". The movie challenges how Scotland is perceived on the big screen – and offers a not-so-subtle nod to films which have come before, such as a mural of Ewan McGregor's "it's shite being Scottish" line in Trainspotting, which is seen a couple of times throughout the film and is eventually painted over. "It was a bit of a gamble putting that in the film," McAvoy told The National. "Mainly because that's arguably the greatest Scottish film ever made, and on my directorial debut I'm bringing it to the mind of people who are watching the film – is this a good idea? "Also, it's 30 years old. What is the next big Scottish success, either box office-wise or just even critically and culturally since then, that really stands out iconically? "When you ask foreigners to name some Scottish films, Braveheart and Trainspotting, I think that's all you get. Hopefully, now they also include I Swear. "That's quite upsetting that it's 30 years old, and where's the next stuff in between?" McAvoy said his film was partly about how "you have a whole region of people that are just underrepresented and don't get to have themselves explored in celluloid in the way that America does, or maybe even parts of England do". He said that this is not merely an issue in Scotland, but one that affects regions in England, Wales, Ireland and across Europe – but added that "I'm Scottish and I'm talking about the Scottish version of it". McAvoy said he included a nod to Trainspotting "to highlight that it's been a long time" since the film was released, adding: "Not because I think it's shite being Scottish, but because they at that point have been told that it's shite to be Scottish for what they want to do, and that's really sad." While California Schemin' was McAvoy's directorial debut, he also plays the role of disgruntled record label manager Anthony. McAvoy pictured alongside Seamus McLean Ross and Samuel Bottomley behind the scenes while filming at the Barrowlands (Image: Supplied) McAvoy said he "really didn't enjoy" both directing and acting in the film, adding: "I really wish I didn't have to be in the film. Anything where I was acting in it, that day was just really stressful. "You're spinning so many plates and managing so many logistical issues, outside of just trying to create a nice image and get good performances and make sure the story's told – like, the porta-potties can't come the next day, and so you have to change location." READ MORE: I made a film in secret in Iran – now it's premiering at the Glasgow Film Festival McAvoy added: "Looking at my own performance was horrifying, really. I never look at my own performance, but I had to as a director to make sure we were getting what we needed. "I could have done without it, I don't want to have to do it again. I marvel at actors who direct themselves in something where they're the lead – how do you not end up in the asylum at the end of it? "It was the least enjoyable part of it, which is probably why my character comes across as being so grumpy." McAvoy's character Anthony – who, while being Scottish, takes most of the film to figure out Gavin and Billy's true identities – comes across as unsympathetic towards their situation. "I thought it was good to show really early somebody contradicting the choice [Billy and Gavin] had to make," McAvoy told The National. James McAvoy plays the role of disgruntled record label manager Anthony (Image: Supplied) "But also, he's representative of a capitalist business – that's the bottom line. That's why they ask him what he thinks of them and he's like, 'well, I think you can make some money'. That's it." McAvoy has seen the film play in countries all over the globe, from the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, to Rome, Zurich and Tallinn. READ MORE: Meet the 22-year-old twins taking the Glasgow Film Festival by storm While the film has "gone down so well and people really get it" elsewhere, McAvoy hopes "it's on a different level in Glasgow". When testing the film in Glasgow, McAvoy said he had found "the laughter slightly less" than in other locations, such as London. "I'd like to see if that was just an outlier, rando reaction and see if we get a big response [at the premiere]," he said. McAvoy added: "I'm hoping that the Glasgow audience and the Scottish audience feel that there's something for them, specifically – because it is. "I hope it does well internationally, I think it's got a great worldwide appeal. It's a universal story – people are underdogs everywhere in the world. "But this is also a film for Scottish people, by Scottish people – it is for Scotland." California Schemin' has its UK premiere on Sunday, March 8 at the Glasgow Film Festival, before being shown in cinemas UK-wide from April 10.

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