With the horror movie remake Speak No Evil due for release next week, star James McAvoy has revealed his inspiration for the role of the…awkwardly forward antagonist, Paddy. As per Empire, McAvoy revealed that he based the character on a very specific, and highly controversial person, crafting the vile, toxically masculine character on none other than Andrew Tate.
“The thing I thought I could exploit in the character was, he thinks he’s a bit of a f— West Country Andrew Tate.
“He’s like, ‘I’m going to teach you what it’s like to be a man again.’ But there’s a sort of polite face on it that isn’t quite Andrew Tate, enough of a sheen of, ‘I’m not one of those guys.'[Paddy’s] challenging you, ‘Do you have a big enough d*** to have a drink with me?’, Or, ‘I’m sorry, this is too much for you because you’re not real enough.’”
Social media personality Andrew Tate has become a figure of controversy over the last few years. And with good reason. Often promoting misogynist views and dubbed the “king of toxic masculinity,” Tate has become a well-known figure of the far-right and is currently facing several legal investigations, including an investigation into human trafficking and rape. It’s hard to imagine a better inspiration for McAvoy’s horror villain…
Speak No Evil Is Due to Hit Theaters Next Week
The terror of Speak No Evil takes place in a picturesque country house, with James McAvoy revealing that, alongside Andrew Tate, he aimed for some “agricultural” with Paddy, also taking inspiration from an Australian term associated with toxic masculinity, and prior characters played by the hugely talented actors Mark Rylance and Ray Winstone.
“You wanted something a bit agricultural. I had two big visual touchstones. The first was the Australian term ‘bogan’, which can be associated with a certain level of toxic masculinity. And the other was the character Rooster from Jerusalem, played so brilliantly by Mark Rylance.
Even though he’s all masculine and throwing his d— around, he’s just a bit softer. Almost a Ray Winstone in Sexy Beast vibe: ‘I don’t mind if my belly’s sticking out, because that’s how comfortable a man I f****** am.’”
Written and directed by James Watkins, Speak No Evil is a remake of the Danish movie of the same name which first made audiences cringe and scream in terror back in 2022. Starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough, and Scoot McNairy, and produced by Jason Blum through Blumhouse Productions, you can check out the official synopsis for the movie below:
“When an American family is invited to spend the weekend at the idyllic country estate of a charming British family they befriended on vacation, what begins as a dream holiday soon warps into a snarled psychological nightmare.”
Speak No Evil
is scheduled to be released on September 13, 2024. If you somehow haven’t already seen it, you can check out the trailer below.