"Having been around that emotional (stuff) sensitized me and made me aware of adult issues early on -- much younger than most kids." - James McAvoy (AP Photo / Evan Agostini)

James McAvoy grew up in housing projects on the outskirts of Glasgow, Scotland.

His childhood was filled with drama: He was 7 when his parents divorced and his father abandoned him. His mother, a nurse, took him to live with her parents, who ran a strict household -- McAvoy generally wasn't allowed to be outside at night until he turned 15.

Still, nothing about his childhood seemed particularly difficult or traumatic, he says.

"There were lots of kids around me that were in the exact same environment and situation, so it felt really normal."

McAvoy, 28, says that in some respects, his career path was set when his father walked out. "Having been around that emotional (stuff) sensitized me and made me aware of adult issues early on -- much younger than most kids. ..... You start to look at the universe where all this interesting and scary (stuff) happens. That's definitely something that's helped me as an actor."

McAvoy says he hasn't had any contact with his estranged father. But he won't say whether he'd eventually like to reconnect.

"That's something I want to keep to myself.

"When I was like 22, 23, I'd tell everybody anything about myself. ..... It's only in the last five years that I kind of realized that I'm not making my loved ones special."

So, don't ask a lot of questions about his marriage to Anne-Marie Duff, his co-star on the British TV show "Shameless." They live in London. No kids. Low profile.

"We don't talk about each other much, and we don't turn up together at lots of events," he says. "We both really rejoice in having a normal life."

That might be changing as McAvoy's profile swells; after the "Atonement" premiere in London (the movie opens Friday in Indianapolis), a photographer was waiting outside the couple's home when they returned from the farmers market. "First time in my life that's ever happened to me," he says.

He doesn't get this fascination with celebrities.

What about the perks, the free stuff? McAvoy says he has an adverse reaction to the gift suites at film festivals, award shows and the like.

"I think it kind of devalues the things I have. I've worked really, really hard. I love my car. ..... And I don't want someone to just come and give us a new one. I want to buy one."

Such a serious young man.

Or not. "I think my wife would be the first to tell you that I'm an absolute (expletive) idiot."

By J. Freedom du Lac / The Washington Post