James McAvoy’s Unlikely Encounter With Stephen King’s Creative Process

Stephen King’s name is just about everywhere these days, and it’s no wonder. His stories have a knack for leaping off the page and straight onto the big screen, making him a household name for both bookworms and film buffs. In 2025 alone, three of his tales made their way to cinemas. First up was The Monkey, a horror-comedy starring Theo James and a rather sinister toy. Then came The Long Walk, which put a group of lads through a relentless endurance test, not unlike a twisted version of a school cross-country run, with only one left standing at the end. Rounding out the trio was The Running Man, a high-octane thriller based on King’s 1982 novel, originally published under the alias Richard Bachman. The latest adaptation, directed by Edgar Wright and featuring Glen Powell and Lee Pace, is a far cry from the 1987 version with Arnold Schwarzenegger at the helm.

King’s influence stretches well beyond the written word, and he’s become a bit of a legend for anyone who loves a good scare or a gripping yarn. One bloke who counts himself as a massive fan is James McAvoy. The Scottish actor, known for his role in It: Chapter Two, was chuffed to bits when he finally got to meet the man behind so many of his favourite stories. McAvoy, who’s never been shy about his admiration for King, hoped to pick up a few pearls of wisdom from the master himself.

Meeting a Literary Legend

When McAvoy met King, he was keen to chat about the way King’s books often cross over, with characters and themes popping up in different worlds and storylines. As McAvoy put it,

“It was pretty awesome, as a fan of his and a fan of many of his books. And a lot of his books actually cross-pollinate as well, with characters and themes showing up, and realms, worlds, realities kind of blending into different series.”

He was eager to quiz King about how he managed to weave all these threads together. But the answer he got wasn’t quite what he expected. King told him,

“Well, you know, James, the thing you have to remember is that I was high as a kite when I wrote that, and I don’t remember.”

Turns out, King’s creative process wasn’t always as methodical as it might seem from the outside. He’s spoken before about his struggles with addiction, admitting that he can barely recall writing much of Cujo. He’s even called The Tommyknockers the last “awful” book he churned out while still using. Like a few other famous writers before him, King’s imagination sometimes ran wild with a bit of chemical encouragement.

When Fandom Meets Reality

For McAvoy, the meeting was a bit of a reality check. He’d hoped for some deep insight into King’s craft, but instead got a dose of honesty that was both disarming and oddly fitting. Still, it’s not every day you get to meet your hero, and McAvoy took it all in stride. If anything, the encounter just added another layer to his appreciation for King’s work.

It’s worth noting that McAvoy himself isn’t a stranger to the world of horror. His performance in Split, where he played a character with 23 different personalities, was nothing short of a tour de force. It’s the sort of role that would make even King sit up and take notice. Maybe, in another universe, King was just as starstruck meeting McAvoy as the other way round.