James McAvoy on Surviving a Collapsed Lung and Getting Swole for the Movie Glass | Armchair Expert

What happened in this episode?

In this short Armchair Expert segment, James McAvoy discusses the physical demands of playing characters in M. Night Shyamalan’s Split and Glass, and how timing affected his ability to train for each role. He says he had only a few weeks’ notice to take the role in Split after another actor dropped out, leaving limited time to change his physique and requiring production tricks such as lighting.

McAvoy then recounts a health scare and medical emergency he says occurred before preparing for Glass. He tells host Dax Shepard that a “shadow” on his lung prompted a biopsy to rule out cancer; he says it was not cancer, but that the procedure was “botched”, causing an infection. McAvoy says his lung later collapsed at home while he was alone, leading to a hospital stay of “two or three weeks” and discussions of potentially being “cut… open” to clear the infection.

He describes hiring trainer Magnus Lygdback while filming an X-Men project, saying the first month focused on rehabilitation because he could walk but could not run, cycle, or jog. McAvoy also talks about becoming “addicted” to intense training for about three years, before deliberately slimming down for a later role by running, walking, and eating less.

What are the key points?

• McAvoy says he had only weeks’ notice to take the role in Split after another actor exited late.
• He recalls undergoing a lung biopsy after doctors saw a “shadow” and wanted to check for cancer; he says it was not cancer.
• McAvoy alleges the biopsy was “botched”, leading to an infection and a collapsed lung at home while he was alone.
• He says he spent “two or three weeks” in hospital and was told he might need major surgery to clean out the infection.
• McAvoy says trainer Magnus Lygdback first focused on rehabilitation before rapid muscle gain for Glass.
• He says he became “addicted” to training for about three years, then later chose to slim down for a character by running, walking, and eating less.

Who is speaking?

Named speakers identified in Egleze's source-linked moments from this episode.

• James McAvoy

Which topics are covered?

How is this page sourced?

Programme

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard

Published

13 October 2026

Duration

3m

Original episode

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